Piece of Me
by SorainaSkye
Summary: C/A- He resisted the darkness driving him, resisted the order to let her die. Cloud saves Aerith from her death, both having to deal with a terrible consequence. Aerith must find a way to save him. But how do you save someone who's soul is shattered?
1. Shatter

Hey! I got this idea from a combination of things...from stories where Cloud saved Aerith, and the book Wizard's First Rule. I'm really excited about this.

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing.

Enjoy!

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Piece of Me

Chapter One

Shatter

The trees glittered like crystals, shining and dazzling in the night- beautiful and innocent, easy to break.

He thought that they were the mask that covered the dead city. Briefly, he wondered why such thoughts came to him at a time like this, but the thought was pushed aside as the reason that he ran through the glittering trees came again to the forefront of his mind.

The reason was something quite simple, really.

Someone, actually. Aerith Gainsborough, the flower girl with strange powers she was only just understanding. She had come here, to the Forgotten City, the place where her power and people had once thrived, to fight and defeat Sephiroth on her own. How, he wasn't sure, but the idea of Aerith Fighting Sephiroth one-on-one made him feel a surge of Anger and fear. Stupid, wonderful, selfless girl- why couldn't she just let him take care of Sephiroth? Of everything? But that wasn't who she was...no, being this way was a part of her.

But to leave all of them...to leave him...to go on a mission that was almost suicide?

Cloud cursed under his breath as he felt two strong tugs at his soul. One was Aerith, the brightness and warmth he had come to recognize as his connection to her- while the other was a great darkness that pulled at his mind. Sephiroth... Both the tugs were leading him in one direction, which meant that Sephiroth was close to her.

The fear that flowed through him then drowned out his anger. People were running after him, people he cared about, but they suddenly seemed to matter little as the brightness of Aerith's tug flared and Cloud flat-out sprinted through the remains of the city. He was panting, and didn't know what trap awaited him, but he didn't care. One coherent though floated in his consciousness:

_-please...let her be safe...-_

A loud heartbeat was ringing in his ears- one that was his, and yet was not. He tried to ignore the sound, rounding a corner to be met with a steep hill of stairs.

_-...There...-_

His sigh of relief seemed almost too loud for a moment. She kneeled at the top of the stairs, head bent and hands clasped together, not praying, but listening to what others couldn't hear. His friends skid to a stop behind him. Barret said something along the lines of "Go up there, Foo!" Yuffie gave him a thumbs-up and motioned toward the stairs, and even Tifa seemed to urge him forward, with a small, sad smile. But it didn't matter, he was already moving. Faintly he heard Barret speak again, something like "You owe me 1000 gil" to Cid, but paid the words no heed. The strange pulsing heartbeat in his ears nearly drowned it out anyway.

The sound of his boots on the metal stairs did not stir her, as he made his determined climb. Somehow, it felt as though he were about to clear a jump- the prolonging moments before where he seemed to hang suspended in the air, before he threw himself to the hands of fate.

When he reached the top, she still had not moved.

A faint light surrounded her, swirling and bright, it flecked across his own face as though reflected by a mirror, or water. Her clothes were dirty, and her hair was tangled, the braid looser than he had ever seen it- a greenish materia poking out from under the masses. Her fingers were laced together, and her lips seemed to be moving slightly, as if she were murmuring to a small creature held gently in her clasped hands. Cloud thought that he had never seen anything more beautiful. Or more mysterious.

That mystery frightened him- more than nearly anything else. The mysteries and secrets of Aerith Gainsborough frightened him because it was one more thing that pulled her away from them, their life, and him.

The pounding in his ears spread to engulf his body.

His eyes glazed over, and the pounding heart drowned out all else. He writhed for a moment, but then the pounding ceased and he pulled out his sword.

_-Kill-_

The abomination was still there, unsuspecting and foolish. He raised his sword, a strange eagerness flooding through him at getting rid of the only one that might have stopped Sephiroth, and destroyed mother- excitement to cut down the Ancient that he hated above all else...

_-Hated...?-_

"Cloud!"

The heartbeats returned, and Cloud dropped his sword with shaking hands.

"What did I...What are you trying yo make me do?!" His voice reverberated back at him, and he flinched at the sound. He had almost killed her again, almost struck her down with the sword he had promised to protect her with. If the others hadn't called out, he would have...

Cloud shook his head as the heartbeats started to get louder. He shouldn't be around her... not if he couldn't control himself.

Aerith looked up at that moment however, and he froze as her eyes found him and she smiled- knowing very well what had almost occurred. She smiled, and though the heartbeats filled him, it was all he could see. And though whispers pulled at him, her smile was all that was clear- all that mattered...

-Stay...- A voice within him demanded. -Do not move...-

He obeyed, staring at Aerith as she kneeled there, bright and like a flower at him. He body froze on the spot as a noise from overhead made his eyes roll upward out of reflex.

A black something with silver hair fell from the sky- sword drawn and pointing at her smiling form. Cloud's eyes widened as the monster fell toward her...

His soul was screaming.

-Don't move-

_-Aerith...-_

-Stay still-

_-No...-_

-Destroy the girl!

_-Aerith...!-_

-Die...-

_-No!-_

-DIE ANCIENT!-

"AERITH!"

(((())))

Aerith blinked as she felt herself roll on the hard metal ground, the breath knocked out of her. Cloud had cried her name, dived at her, pulling her away from...

"Sephiroth?!"

She stared her for a moment before he smirked, and vanished.

She heard the others footsteps hurrying up the stairs, but paid them no mind as her eyes flashed around for her bodyguard.

He was kneeling, hands pressed flat on the ground and head bent, rigid. The light reflected off of him as his fingers curled and he began to shake. Aerith opened her mouth, still laying dizzied on the floor, to ask if he was all right, but his actions beat her to it.

Cloud threw his head back and screamed.

He screamed in a pain and desperation she had never heard, his hands clawing at his face, chest, and head, the scream echoing so that it seemed there were hundreds of people screaming in the one room. He screamed with a pain that terrified her. It was a horrible scream- eyes rolling back, body shaking – as he screamed as though undergoing brutal torture. Tears pricked Aerith's eyes as she lay there, horrified in shock.

Crying out and scrambling to her unsteady feet, she made her way toward him as the scream continued. It broke off – suddenly, before she was at his side, and he fell sideways, landing with a thump on the metal floor, eyes staring blankly ahead, breathing shallow.

"Cloud!" Aerith shrieked, grabbing his arm and face as the others surrounded them, picking him up together. He was alive, but pale and trembling as though only just. What had caused him such pain? Aerith knew, as the others spoke in frenzied voices about the subject, that she wanted to figure it out, and heal his pain.

(((())))

The whispers of her fingertips in the air were like a breeze as they stirred his hair. She had always wanted to touch his face, but felt hesitant doing so now. After all he had endured, and his current state, it would seem...wrong.

Aerith sighed, stretching a little from the chair at the side of Cloud's bed. She stared at him, at the sunlight brushing his face and felt scared. His eyes had only closed a little while ago, and the trembling hadn't ceased until after. What if he never woke up? What would she do then? How could she...go on? How would she be able to look to the next day if he wasn't there to greet her with his rare, precious smiles? For a moment the fear and sadness seemed to swell within her, and she shivered as his scream seemed to echo in her ears. Aerith placed a hand over her heart and closed her eyes- trying to control the feeling she had for his pain. It was suffocating. For Cloud to have screamed that way...

What could he have been feeling? It was something she didn't want to think about.

She sighed again, looking over at Tifa, whose eyes had filled with tears. "His condition has hardly changed..." She murmured, the tears falling fast down her face. Aerith blinked back her own tears, smiling weakly. "At least his eyes are closed now," she whispered. Tifa made a noise in the back of her throat. The door opened and she jumped a little, standing up. Barret, Yuffie, and Nanaki walked in, faces grim.

Aerith stared at their faces; her eyes shining with unshed tears. She looked away at their expressions. Nanaki butted his head against her arm. "We will do all we can," he said, deep voice quiet and assuring. Aerith smiled weakly, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I know," she murmured.

"Hey, Aerith," Yuffie's face was unusually somber, eyes glittering. Aerith looked up at the hesitant ninja. "Why don't you go down to get the warm washcloths and medicine the Inn's providing? You've been in here for, like, _ages_." Yuffie attempted a smile, over-emphasizing the last word. Aerith bit her lip, considering.

As loath as she was at the idea of leaving Cloud's side, it was very painful seeing him in his current state, and hard to think of what might have happened. She needed to clear her head and think- perhaps listen to the voice of the planet. She needed to find a way to help him. And she couldn't do that by staring at his motionless form.

"Don' worry," Barret said. "We'll take care of spiky here."

Aerith nodded, sighing a little as she smiled at her friends. Blinking back the last vestiges of her tears, she walked out the still-open-door, closing it firmly behind her. Out side the door she paused for a moment, leaning her head against the wood and closing her eyes. Vainly, she tried to dispel the wave of sadness that was in her heart. She sighed again, shaking her head, stepping quickly down the stairway, dress gripped in her hands.

Aerith quickly made it to the first floor lobby, stopping at the foot of the stairs. For a moment, her hand clutched the banister, the images of what had happened flashing before her eyes like a reel. Cloud had...saved her life. Unclamping her hand from the banister, Aerith began walking to the front desk, where she knew the items she needed would be waiting. A loud bang, like a door being thrown open, caught her attention.

She turned, hearing footsteps pounding down the stairs- a group of people was running toward her, chasing a man with spiked blonde hair, and wide blue eyes...

"Cloud?" Aerith began, stunned. "Wha-"

HE barreled into, arms clamping around her waist, falling to his knees upon the wood floor, making Aerith bend over a little, dumbfounded. He was trembling, as though he had been out in a blizzard without clothes for an hour.

"Cloud...?"

He was shaking, clinging to her as though she were a lifeline, small, childlike, noises of distress issuing from his throat. He dug his face deeper into her dress, her stomach, panting and whimpering softly.

Aerith couldn't help it- for a moment, she gaped, at her equally astonished friends, at the people that had stopped to watch, and at the shaking Cloud that clung to her. But the moment passed, and she found herself bending over, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. She didn't know what was going on- all she knew was that at this moment, Cloud needed her.

Wrapping her arms around his neck and shoulders, she smoothed his hair back, whispering gently- "Shhhh, it's all right. Everything is alright..."

"We thought he was having a seizure or something," Yuffie said, staring at them. "Soon as you left the room he just- started going _berserk._"

Aerith nodded, slowly. Cloud's trembling had eased into a gentle shaking, his face buried in her neck, almost like he was nuzzling her. Though that was rather distracting, and somewhat pleasurable, it alarmed her even more. Staring a the others with wide eyes, Aerith murmured- "Let's go back to the room."

"I'll get Vincent," Yuffie said, heading for the door. "He should have to remedies by now." She scampered out the door.

"Cloud?" Aerith gently took his arm. "Cloud? We need to go up to the room now." She tried to stand, but Cloud remained on the ground, arms wrapped tightly around her. Feeling a blush darken her cheeks, Aerith shook him lightly. He looked up at her then, eyes wide and somehow childlike in the vestiges of their fear and shock. Keeping her eyes locked with his, Aerith stood, and he followed her, gripping her shoulders tightly, as though afraid that she would step away. Looking up at him now, Aerith moved so that she was supporting him- and he hunched into her, seeming weary.

A moment of silence- then, "I'll help you," Tifa said, stepping forward and reaching for Cloud's other arm, wine-red eyes quite unreadable. But as soon as her fingers brushed him, Cloud lept away from her, once again clutching at Aerith- almost hiding behind her- eyes wide and frightened.

Tifa froze, mouth slightly open. "Cloud...?" She whispered, hurt shining in her eyes.

Cloud merely turned his head away, pressing his face into Aerith's hair.

Aerith stood stock still, mouth wide open. It took her a moment to find her voice. "Tifa..." She began, "I-"

Tifa stepped back, waving a hand to cut her off. "No, no, it's fine!" Her voice rose a little hysterically. Her eyes were shining and she was blinking more than usual. "It'll just... go up to my room now..." Tifa whispered, the last part just a mumble. She turned, and ran up the stairs, hair flying behind her.

Putting a hand over her mouth, Aerith stared after her, gasping. "Oh, Tifa..."

Aerith felt like she was going to faint. Blinking and steadying herself, she led Cloud up to his room. The whole way up there, he followed her like a shadow, until Aerith could stand it no more and grabbed his hand instead. It worked in a sense; he stopped literally breathing down her neck, but he seemed to find odd fascination in holding her hand, staring at their intertwined fingers as though he had never seen anything like it.

Settling herself into the chair that she had been sitting in before, Aerith coaxed Cloud to sit on the bed, leaning against the headboard and propped up pillows under his back- all the while with him still gripping her hand.

It was then that she allowed all her fears- all her confusion and amazement, and worry, to crash over her.

Her heart seemed to have clenched upon itself- beating painfully in her chest. What had happened to Cloud? Why was he behaving this way? What had..._altered_ him so? And most of all- what could she do to help him?

Cloud's actions caught Aerith's attention quite suddenly.

His hand- the one not holding hers – was tracing along her fingers in his hand. His touch whispered over her knuckles, tracing from where their hands held the other, down her arm and up her shoulder. Aerith felt a blush spreading across her face as his gloved fingers moved up her neck and to her cheek. There was a quiet wonderment on Cloud's face – eyes bright with what appeared to be awe. His fingers traced her hairline, nose, and eyes, closing them gently as he pressed on her lids. His fingers continued their path downward, passing gently over Aerith lips, parting them slightly...

The door flew open, crashing into the wall, and they both jumped- and Aerith nearly falling out of her chair and taking Cloud with her.

"ALRIGHT!" Barret roared at the door, advancing on them. "I'VE HAD IT UP TO HERE-" he held his hand up to a considerable height- "WITH YOU SPIKEY!" His dark skin was turning an odd purple color. Cloud was shaking again, and Aerith stood up.

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOU, BUT YOU BETTER SNAP OUT OF IT BEFORE I MAKE YOU! DO YA HEAR ME!? DO YA-"

"Barret, please!" Aerith said, standing in front of Cloud, glaring hard at the older man. He ignored her, continuing to shout., waving his arms erratically. In his frenzy, his gun arm came very close to hitting her face.

It all happened very quickly then.

A roar sounded from behind her, and Aerith found herself staring at Cloud's back as he pinned Barret to the wall, a snarl on his face. Barret, in complete shock for a moment, began shouting at Cloud again. Cloud seemed unable to hear him as he pushed against Barret's shoulders, the wood of the wall cracking underneath them. Cloud's hands then dived for his throat-

Without thought, Aerith launched herself at Cloud, grabbing him from behind. Embracing him. She heard fluent cussing as Barret crashed to the ground, and Cloud moved in her arms, so that he was hugging her back. Peeking over his arm, Aerith saw him give Barret a very dirty look, before turning back to her with a bright, shy, smile.

And Aerith felt her eyes widen.

(((())))

"What should we do?"

"Sephiroth cannot be left to his own designs," Vincent said, standing in the shadows of a corner. "We must still search for him." He paused. "Or I shall search. I need to atone-"

"Yo! I'm still trackin' Sephiroth!" Barret shouted, waving his gun-arm for emphasis. Now that Cloud was sleeping, he felt little need to tone it down. "An' what 'bout the Shinra?!" He glared around the room, at Nanaki, staring meditatively at his paws- at Yuffie, who was loading and re-loading her materia slots over and over- at Cid, who was smoking as usual- at Tifa, who was staring and the ground and completely silent, and at Aerith, who sat at Cloud's bedside, his fingers still loosely curled around hers.

"But what about Cloud?" Yuffie asked. "He can't like, fight Sephiroth like this."

"He coul' hardly fight Sephiroth before," Barret growled. Then he sighed. "Look, I don't like this either, but what about the planet?! We don't know what the hell's wrong with him, or if he'll get better, an' right now he wouldn't be a help!"

"But you need me." Aerith didn't even look up as she spoke. She was met with a deep silence at her words. "It seems...that Cloud can't go anywhere without me. And I need to fight Sephiroth. He will find me, even if I don't look for him. I'm the last Cetra. Sephiroth wants me dead. And you need me to fight him."

The others said nothing, and Aerith looked up, seeing that they realized the truth of her words- if a bit grudgingly for some. She tried to avoid Tifa's gaze. She felt uncomfortable about that as it was- uncomfortable and guilty. For hurting her friend, and for taking very small pleasure in what had happened.

Nanaki spoke up. "I have a suggestion," He began in his low growl of a voice, looking around at them all. "If you are welcome to it-" He addressed Aerith- "We could take Cloud to see my grandfather. He might be able to discern this anomaly, and perhaps a way to cure it."

Aerith felt a smile light her face.

"F&," Cid grumbled. "Stupid kid's more trouble then he's worth."

It was decided.

(((())))

"Wait," Nanaki said. "I will explain a little, let him know why we are here."

He bounded through the doorway, calling out: "Grandfather!"

Aerith bit her lip, curling her hand a little tighter around Cloud's. He almost refused to let go of her hand now. She looked up at him, and saw that he still had a bright smile in place. Aerith looked away, blushing a little. As much as it innerved her to see Cloud smiling so much- the look really did make him undeniably handsome.

And it seemed that his near-constant smile was fascination- fascination with _her_. Everything she did, every way she moved, he seemed to regard with wonder. Aerith bit her lip again as he started to play with her hair. It felt oddly good, but she hoped that he wouldn't unbraid it. His hand came around to her face, brushing her long bangs, and hovering over her cheek.

Aerith's blush deepened. "Cloud," she said, reaching up to pull away his hand. His eyes brightened as soon as she spoke. It was something else that took his wonder- her voice. As soon as she made any sort of sound- unless it was unhappy- he immediately brightened even more.

Aerith wasn't quite sure why or how, but she felt sure that he still didn't know what she was saying when she said his name. He never responded to it. He always responded to whatever she said, whether it was directed at him or not. He wouldn't do what she asked- even if she asked him most of the time- because he didn't seem to ever understand what she was asking.

Nanaki appeared at the doorway. "Come," He said. "Grandfather says that he will help in any way possible."

"What did you tell him?" Aerith asked, walking forward, with Cloud immediately following.

"Little. I don't understand, so there is not much that I could say."

Aerith frowned, sighing a little. She really hoped this would work.

"Ho, ho, ho!" Bugenhagen voice came from down the hall. "What can I do, what shall we do? Ho-ho! Let me have a look."

Aerith rounded a corner to see Bugenhagen, his wrinkled face quite friendly. As soon as Cloud rounded the corner after her, his smile vanished instantly. His eyes widened, and he began shaking uncontrollably.

"Grandfather?" Nanaki questioned.

He was ignored. Bugenhagen raised a shaking, lined finger. "What," he demanded, voice angry. "Have you done to that man's soul?"

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Reviews make me smile inside! Hope you liked. :)

AerithHeartilly


	2. Fragment

Um, hi. (Hides face in shame)

I know this is a much later update than you were expecting. I. am. SO. SORRY. Seriously. My excuses: Normal life, NaNoWriMo, and the fact that I got absorbed into another fandom whose story ideas won't leave me alone. If any of you like FullMetal Alchemist, that is the fandom that captured me. Check out my stories if you like. Aaargh, scratch that. I do not deserve to ask anything from you all. I beg. I grovel.

I'm kidding, but, seriously, I'm sorry. Luckily, I'm almost done with the story that's been taking up my time. Then I can focus on other projects. :)

Alright, to explain this chapter...well, I'm out on a limb here. Pretty sure no one's done anything like this for fanfiction, so...just let me know if it sounds stupid. But no flames, please. They will be ignored.

And, I have a pretty clear picture in my head of the next chapter. I need to read the walkthrough of the game again. I haven't finished the game yet, you see...(I only got it a little while ago- do you know how hard it is to find that thing nowadays?) Oh, and in case anyone thinks that I don't like Tifa- I do. She's going to not be herself for a little while, but it all gets straightened out, I swear. I know how this story ends too, so, yeah....no Tifa bashing. Just don't like her with Cloud. Period.

Aah, I'm rambling.

DISCLAIMER: I own Final Fantasy Seven. I also am secretly the Loch Ness Monster.

Don't sue giant sea monsters. It's not nice.

Enjoy!(I promise the next chapter will be longer)

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Chapter Two

Fragment

"What?" Aerith said, standing in front of Cloud with her arms out, spread like she wanted to block him from all the bad things in the world. "What do you mean, 'what have you done to his soul'?" Fear gripped her.

Bugenhagen seemed to gain control of himself, though he was still shaking. "Forgive me," He murmured. He struggled for a moment, and then formed a coherent sentence. "Is- is the rest of your party with you?"

"Yes," Nanaki said. "I will get them. But, Grandfather, what-"

"I cannot be sure yet." Bugenhagen's voice was dismissive. "But, yes, Nanaki, go and get your comrades. I- I need to gather as much information as I can. And then-" He shook himself "-and then, we shall know."

Nanaki stared at the old man for a moment, eyes glowing, and then nodded, brushing past Aerith and Cloud, his tail flickering.

Bugenhagen turned his wise, now-frightened eyes on Aerith. "Please," He said. "When did this start? What...happened?"

And so Aerith told him- told him about Sephiroth's attempt to get Cloud to kill her, Sephiroth's own attempt, how Cloud had shouted her name, pushed her out of the way, and begun to scream. She described how he could not bare to be in a room without her, or to touch anyone else. How he did not speak, but always responded to her voice. And how, though she said it many times, he didn't seem to know his own name.

Bugenhagen looked pensive, folding his hands together in his sleeves.. The others clambered in at that moment.

"What's going on?" Yuffie, Barret, and Cid demanded.

"Have you determined anything?" Vincent's voice was low.

Aerith shook her head. Cloud was nervous, moving even closer to her as the proximity of other people increased. Bugenhagen watched them for a moment, his eyebrows drawing together.

"Come with me," He said finally.

He turned, heading through a door. He led them to a large, dark room. "Tell me, miss," He said. "When you were kneeling at that altar, what were you doing exactly?"

Aerith bit her lip. "I was praying for Holy, to counter Meteor."

Bugenhagen nodded. "I thought as much." He stopped suddenly. "Sephiroth tried to make Cloud kill you? He was able to control Cloud?"

Aerith nodded. "Yes. He even made Cloud give him the Black Materia. Cloud couldn't...control himself." She felt reluctant to say these things. "But, he resisted."

Bugenhagen nodded again. "Yes, he resisted."

Aerith exchanged a look with her friends. What was that strange glint in his eyes? Her friends were equally bemused. All except Tifa, who still didn't meet her eyes. She merely stared at the floor, one hand holding her other arm.

Bugenhagen approached them; Cloud hid behind Aerith even more, clinging to her. Bugenhagen eyed them both with pity-filled eyes. "I need to test something. Can you get him to hold still so that I can touch him?"

Aerith bit her lip. "I'm not sure. He..." She trailed off, determination setting in. She had to, so that Cloud would get better. She turned around, grabbing Cloud's arm.

"Cloud, listen to me." Aerith said, bringing her face very close to his. "Cloud, you need to let Bugenhagen touch you, okay? Please..." Cloud didn't say anything, merely stared at her with something akin to wonder. Aerith sighed. This was getting frustrating.

She moved so that she was standing behind him. She wrapped her arms around his waist from behind. "Hold still..." She whispered, and Cloud became a statue in her arms. "Bugenhagen..." Aerith peeked over Cloud's shoulder. Bugenhagen nodded, approaching Cloud with two fingers held out. They pressed lightly into Cloud's stomach.

Cloud twitched, and Aerith held him tighter. He squirmed, a small wail coming from him. Aerith closed her eyes, whispering gently into Cloud's ear, standing on tiptoe so that she could reach it. He calmed, though he still tried to move away from Bugenhagen's fingers. Aerith saw Bugenhagen's arm move in a slow circle, his eyes closed. His lids twitched, and he pulled back with a slight gasp.

He moved away from them, shaking his head.

"What?" Aerith demanded, stepping around Cloud even as he grasped her hand. "What is it? What happened?"

Bugenhagen took a deep breath. "It is as I feared. His soul has been shattered, leaving only a fragment behind."

"His soul?" Aerith questioned. "How? How could that happen?" Her heart thudded in her ears, and she felt all the blood leave her face.

Bugenhagen's eyes were sad. "Because of the hold that Sephiroth had- that Jenova had-on him, his soul was in chaos. They took control, not of his mind, but of his soul. His thoughts were still his own, but his soul they began to take over completely. When you were kneeling there, praying for Holy, they tried to make him kill you..."

Aerith nodded, her eyebrows furrowing.

"And when that failed, Sephiroth tried to kill you himself. My guess is that Jenova- or Sephiroth- tried to keep Cloud from doing anything to save you, keep him still. The only reason he was able to break from that, was because as he saw Sephiroth fall toward you. And all of his body, his heart, his soul, was focused on you. But breaking away from something that had such a terrible hold on him had it's consequences- as you can see." Bugenhagen sighed before continuing. "That action literally broke him, for, a person's soul has many parts and fragments that feel different things. A person's soul is very much their emotions- their wants and desires- and strong ones at that. But Jenova had been slowly taking over all of those parts of his soul, controlling them. And when he resisted, when he saved you, he broke that connection to Jenova, severed all ties with it, because in that moment, the part of his soul that cared about you was stronger than anything else."

Aerith felt a sinking in her stomach, a horrible feeling overtaking her. Her eyes grew wide.

"And so that is all that is left. All that is left in Cloud, the only thing that remains, is the fragment of soul that thought of nothing else but you. He has no identity, no memories. All that matters, all that makes sense to him, is you."

Aerith gaped. "That- that can't be possible!"

Bugenhagen's expression was grave. "It _is_ possible. You said that he doesn't talk, correct? I doubt he knows how. And I doubt he knows who anyone besides you _is_. And he cannot leave your side, because you are all he has left. If you leave, it tears at his soul again, ripping apart the only bit of soul he has. I'm sure it causes him great pain."

Aerith sank back, falling to her knees. "How...?" She whispered. "How can this be...?"

"Is there any way to...reverse this?" Tifa asked. She did not look at Aerith or Cloud, and her voice was low. It was the first time she had spoken in hours.

Bugenhagen sighed. "As to that, I do not know. A great shock perhaps...if their connection were to somehow be broken...but anything of that magnitude would most likely kill him."

Aerith's face was white. She looked at her companions, whose faces wore similar pallors.

Cloud, who had fallen beside her and looked increasingly alarmed by her distress, gave a small squeak, wiping at the tears that had filled Aerith's eyes. She stood. "What do you know, then?" She whispered, her fists clenched at her sides.

Bugenhagen looked away. "I am not positive, but...I believe that over time he may learn to speak again, learn who some of you are again...But I do not think he will ever remember who he _is_. He truly has no sense of self." His gaze went back to Aerith. "I will do my best to learn more on this matter, and let you know. But be warned: He will do _anything_ to keep you from harm. Any old loyalties, his own life, won't matter to him as long as you are safe."

Aerith licked her lips, closing her eyes for a moment as she nodded, a silent tear falling down her face.

~(~)~(~)~(~)~(~)~(~)~

Aerith was startled by a knock on her door- by the sound of it; all of her friends were waiting outside. Both Bugenhagen and Nanaki had insisted that they stay for a few days, to see if anything else could be learned, and to decide their next destination.

Cloud looked up from where he had been sitting on the edge of her bed- legs crossed, looking almost like an overgrown schoolboy- the wide smile he had been wearing disappearing in an instant. Aerith laid a hand on his shoulder, scooting closer to him. He relaxed, but there was still an odd fear and uneasiness in his eyes when he looked at her, and then the door.

"Come in," Aerith called, and the door was pushed open.

First to come in was Nanaki, followed closely by Barret and Cid, then Cait Sith, Vincent, Yuffie, and finally Tifa, her eyes flicking over to Aerith and Cloud, and then quickly at the floor again. No one spoke as they gathered around the bed.

Cloud started fiddling with Aerith's sleeve- tracing it in his fingers, exploring all angles of it, his hand moving up to her shoulder and tracing the lines of the stitches on her jacket. Aerith shifted uncomfortably, fighting a blush. Her eyes roamed her friends' faces, meeting their eyes. For the first time, Tifa met her gaze. Her face was carefully blank- but oddly pinched and tight, wine-red eyes flicking from Aerith, to Cloud's fingers still tracing her jacket. Aerith furrowed her eyebrows, disliking the slight hostility that seemed to be hidden under the surface in Tifa's face. She really couldn't blame her, she supposed. Aerith knew that Tifa loved Cloud too, and that she didn't seem to really understand what had happened. But she would have to talk to her about it soon; Tifa was her best friend, and Aerith didn't want her to be angry.

Aerith wove her fingers into the blanket. "Well...?" She said, moving her gaze from Tifa to look at the others.

Yuffie shifted uncomfortably. "Look, Aerith-" She began.

"We can't let you and spiky come with us!" Barret blurted out. He sighed. "What good would Cloud be in a fight? And what if Sephiroth comes, and tires to control him again?"

"And if he does come, he won't have any effect on Cloud," Aerith raised her eyebrows. "Bugenhagen said that all the ties Cloud had to Jenova and Sephiroth are gone. Sephiroth would hold no sway over him now."

"Not exactly," Nanaki said. He walked closer, butting his head against Aerith's knee. He looked up at her, and his eyes were sad. "If Sephiroth put you in danger, Cloud would do anything he said, to keep you from harm."

"But Sephiroth doesn't know that!" Tifa sudden exclamation startled everyone. "Maybe we can find a way to help Cloud if he comes. We can all protect Aerith, I know we can!"

"Like we protected her in the Forgotten City?" Vincent questioned, his voice low. Tifa blanched, drawing back a little. "Tifa, do not forget that Aerith almost died there." Tifa lowered her head.

"I haven't forgotten," She whispered, looking away, hand clamped tight around her arm.

"Does this mean we have to stop hunting Sephiroth?" Cait Sith asked, wringing his hands together. He looked around at them all, waiting for an answer as they all paused.

"No," Aerith said, and her voice was firm. "We can't. I told you before: you _need_ me. If I don't come with you, Sephiroth will seek out both me, and Cloud. Whether we are traveling with all of you will be of little consequence to him. He wants us both dead, and he will not stop, just because we aren't looking for him." Aerith met all of their eyes. "You all know that." Cloud pulled a little closer to her, pressing his face into her arm. Aerith took a deep breath to calm herself, and then spoke again, her voice very soft.

"I know...I know that there's danger. I know...that a lot could go wrong, but I...I know, that if we keep journeying together, we have a change to stop Sephiroth. None of us can do it alone, I know that now. I thought I could do it by myself, summon Holy and stop him, no matter the cost. But I can't, especially now that Cloud is this way. We all have to fight him together. We have to...there are so many people counting on us...we can't give up. We can't just let them all die. We have to do this, so that the world will go on. And..." Aerith paused, then continued. "And, so that maybe, we can help Cloud. I don't know anything else to do. But please..." She held out her hand, reaching out toward them all.

"Please, we have to all fight this together, or we don't stand a chance."

Slowly, they came toward her. One by one, they placed their hands over hers, Nanaki's paw on top.

"Together," They said, and Aerith smiled, tears pricking her eyes as Cloud clutched her ever more tightly.

END OF CHAPTER

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There ya go. The full extent of Cloud's...affliction...will become clear over time. It's sort of something that can't be explained- only shown.

EDIT: Oh, man, I can't believe I forgot to do this. Reviews for chapter one:

-Ace- :Doesn't seem like I'm gonna get that cookie, huh? I'm glad you liked the first chapter so much. :)

mirrorshine: Thank you! I hope you like this chapter too.

LilyMione-chan: Thank you. I'm glad you find it creative. But what is obvious about it? Oh no, I don't want to have a readable plot...*~*

Fifth Voyager: Wow, glad you like it! Hope you enjoy this chapter too!

Frodo Silverlune: Okay, so no pressure. XD Hope this lives up to your expectations!

I love reviews, and they make me write faster. :)

Next chapter preview:

Broken: Everyone tries to fully explore Cloud's 'injury', and does their best to make him remember them, and even the basics of speaking. Can Aerith try to talk to Tifa, or will words be thrown in anger in response? And how can Aerith deal with Cloud being unable to seperate from her- having to be at her side at all times, even when sleeping, or bathing...Can this piece of Cloud still hold anything that's true? But no, Cloud doesn't love her...does he?

Till next time! The next chapter very much earns this story's 'T' rating. And not for language and violence. (Hint hint.)

I PROMISE to update faster.

~AerithHeart


	3. Broken

Hey, all. This chapter is a bit longer than the last one, and it also sort of becomes more obvious why this is rated T. Cid's potty mouth, and some other activities...among them will soon be violence. I know this took me a while, but to those still reading this, I give you my thanks. I bow, I grovel. And I apologize for taking so long. I am not abandoning this story, I swear.

Aaaaaanyway, I don't own anything, I am just manipulating the characters to my whims...Final Fantasy 7 belongs to Square Enix.

PS: I was looking through previous chapters, and felt I might've played up Barret's personality a little too much. He doesn't shout all the time. :)

Anyway, enjoy, and please review.

* * *

Chapter Three

Broken

Over the next few days, they all tried everything they could think of to help Cloud- something to make him talk, to recognize one of them. _Something. _

"Maybe we could just hit him really, really hard over the head," Yuffie suggested.

"Fuck, girl, he doesn't have amnesia," Cid rolled his eyes, taking another puff from his cigarette.

"Perhaps Yuffie has the right idea- though not the right method," Nanaki mused. "If we could just...jog his memory...maybe we'll just have to keep pointing out the names of things...try to get him to speak, and teach him, as if we were teaching a child."

"But he doesn't pay any attention to us!" Cait Sith protested. Indeed, Cloud was always focused on Aerith. At that moment, he was curled by her on the floor, tracing the lines of her boot and lower calf in apparent fascination.

Aerith pursed her lips, trying to concentrate. "Is...is there anything that Cloud has, something that has a particular significance for him?"

"His sword."

Everyone turned to stare at Tifa, who stared back at all of them in something close to defiance- stared at all of them except for Aerith, deliberately avoiding her eyes. Tifa shrugged, mouth a thin, angry, line. "He always carries it around, and I think it means a lot to him, as far as objects go..."

Aerith nodded, trying not to feel hurt at Tifa's actions. "You're right..." she said slowly. She had noticed they way that Cloud held his sword- as something more than an object or a weapon of war- like it was an extension of himself, like it was an important memory. Another thought suddenly struck her and she turned toward Yuffie, snapping her fingers together. Cloud looked up at the sound. "Yuffie!' Aerith exclaimed. "Do you have those pictures from when we were at the gold saucer?"

Yuffie blinked, and then nodded. "Yeah, I think so..." Her eyes widened suddenly, and she grinned. "You're a genius, 'Rith!" She bounded off down a hall, disappearing around a corner.

"Photographs..." Nanaki murmured in approval. "Excellent. Tifa-" He turned to the woman standing a few feet apart from everyone else, her head down. She looked up at her name, determinedly not looking at Aerith. "Is Cloud's sword on the Highwind?"

"I'll get it," Cid offered, moving his cigarette to the other side of his mouth. "I don' want nobody but me goin' in there alone!" With that, he turned on his heel, marching up to where he would climb out of the canyon, and to the Highwind.

"Aerith...do you think it'll work?" Barret asked. As soon as he stepped closer to her, Cloud's head snapped up and he scowled heavily, stepping in front of her. Barret retreated with a fierce scowl of his own. "Shit, Spiky..." He mumbled. "I'm not gonna shoot her..."

Aerith shot Barret an apologetic look, at which he shrugged. She sighed before answering his earlier question. "I'm honestly not sure..." She said quietly. "But...with both his sword and some photographs...maybe we can trigger something in his memory...or...his soul, I suppose..." She trailed off, putting a hand over her eyes. Cloud's fingers pulled at her hand, a little, and she saw him peeking up at her, blue eyes wide and worried.

"Sorry, Cloud," She whispered. She brought her hand down, and made herself smile. They would figure this out. Everything would be okay.

"Aerith," Nanaki said, his tail flicking. "I was thinking- perhaps before we set out again we should go by the Forgotten City. Maybe we could figure something out...and more exploration of the ruins certainly wouldn't hurt."

Aerith nodded. "That might be a good idea. What do you all think?"

"I dunno...couldn't Sephiroth still be hangin' around there?" Barret asked. "I wanna fight him and all, but walkin' right into his hands doesn't seem like a good idea."

Vincent spoke, his arms crossed. "The dangers of walking into a trap are great. Would the information we could obtain be worth it? Aerith, you said yourself that we must continue to look for Sephiroth. Along the way we can search for ways to help Cloud. But Sephiroth must be our top priority, or we might just run out of time." His voice was gravelly, but not unkind.

Yuffie bounded into sight, photographs clutched in her hand.

"Here," She said, holding them out to Aerith. Cloud watched her suspiciously, still hiding a little bit behind Aerith.

The brunette smiled at Yuffie in thanks and apology, holding the photographs out in front of her. She could remember well when they had taken those...

_The lights flashed all around them, and the sounds of laughter made it nearly hard to think. But the atmosphere was so happy; none of them could be in damp spirits (except, perhaps Vincent, who if anything looked like he was getting an intense migraine). _

_Cloud walked up front with Aerith and Tifa on either side of him, and Yuffie right behind them. They were going to go their separate ways soon, but then Tifa spotted something. "Hey, Cloud...is that what I think it is?" She pointed to what looked like an old-fashioned camera, the kind that took black and white pictures, next to a much new model that was shining in the bright lights. A photographer in a black hat stood beside both of them, next to a sign that said: __**'Photographs: 5 gil for black and white, 7 for color.' **_

_Cloud frowned at it. "It's a camera."_

_Tifa nodded. "I know! But that old one looks just like the one they used in Nibelheim for the newspaper!" She looked at him, searching for some sign of recognition. _

_Cloud blinked, and then shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. "If you say so."_

"_Tifa!" Aerith grabbed her friend's arm, grinning broadly. "We should get some pictures taken! With __**all**__ of us," She said pointedly, staring hard at the few men (namely Vincent and Barret) that had been trying to sneak away. They both stopped._

_Tifa frowned a little. "It's a good idea, but how could we carry them around with us? They might get destroyed..."_

_Aerith waved her hand, dismissing the issue. "We'll figure something out. We could probably keep them somewhere on the Highwind if Cid doesn't mind..." She looked at the older blond man hopefully. _

_Cid rolled his eyes. "...Maybe. Damn it, stop with the eyes already!"_

_Aerith giggled. "Well, everyone, what do you say? Let's get some pictures taken together!"_

_Yuffie thought it over. "I agree with the condition that I can be as weird with my facial expressions as I want." _

_Aerith and Tifa looked at each other, and then shrugged. _

"_Sweet!"_

"_Well, Cloud?" Aerith grabbed his arm. "What do you think? Will you take pictures with us? Please?" She smiled at him. Cloud blinked and then looked at his feet, eyes occasionally flicking up to her. He cleared his throat._

"_Uh, well, so long as we don't stop for too long..."_

"_Great! Thanks Cloud! This will be so much fun!" She dragged him toward the photographer, grabbing Tifa along the way and calling back to the others as Yuffie bounded ahead of them; "Don't make me drag you over here! Come on, a few photos won't kill you!"_

The memory made her more than a little sad- not only because of how painfully it reminded her of how Cloud had been, but also because it made her even more aware of the rift that was currently between her and Tifa. She studied them, one black and white, the other two in color.

In the first colored one, they were all slightly blurred. Cid had a cigarette halfway to his mouth, smirking, while Barret was only half in the shot. Vincent was behind everyone, mostly covered by shadow. Only his arms showed clearly, crossed over his chest. Yuffie was posing dramatically, arms spread wide and high above her head, in the middle of jumping. Nanaki was peeking around her, grinning wolfishly. Tifa and Aerith were next to each other, arms linked, Aerith still holding Cloud by the arm. Cloud looked faintly embarrassed, one hand scratching behind his head, his eyes on Aerith. It was before Cait was with them, so he was not in there, of course.

In the next one, they had managed to arrange themselves to be a little more organized. Yuffie knelt in the front, making a face and sticking her tongue out. Behind her was Aerith, Cloud, and Tifa, the girls on either side of the blond man, arms linked with him. Cloud's lips were turned up into a slight, unwilling smile, eyebrows raised. Both Aerith and Tifa were grinning broadly, eyes glittering. Nanaki was on Tifa's other side, sitting, his tail slightly blurred, as it was in the middle of flicking around by his face. Barret had moved closer, only a bit of his gun arm cut out of the shot- though his mouth was open, right in the middle of saying something. Cid's cigarette was actually in his mouth in this one, and his hands were in his pockets while he leaned against a building that was beside them. Vincent was once again behind everyone, though his face could be seen- looking as if he was struggling to keep his eye from twitching.

In the last, which was black and white, Cloud had been pushed into a kneeling position in the front, with Tifa, Aerith, and Yuffie behind him. Tifa and Aerith had their arms around each other, and around Yuffie, who, in the picture, was in the middle of a sneeze. Cloud's head was partway turned around, a slightly confused smile on his face as he looked back at them. Tifa and Aerith had both burst out laughing, their smiles face-splitting, eyes bright, even without color. Nanaki's eyes were closed, and his mouth was open as he laughed; behind him, Barret was looking at Yuffie with a raised eyebrow, and Vincent looked somewhat surprised, his eyes a bit wider than normal. Cid was smirking, in the process of shaking his head.

The pictures were perfectly imperfect, as far as Aerith was concerned. Seeing how close she and Tifa had been was almost physically painful. And Cloud's true, small smile made her feel as though a huge hand had just clamped it's fist around her gut. For a moment, she remembered growing up in the slums of Midgar. There had not been many her age around, and even less that were kind. She had not had the wonderful friends that she had now, while in Midgar. And of course, before she was in Midgar, she was...she quickly took her mind away from that period of time. She didn't want to think about her time with the Shinra.

"Cloud," She said, and he peeked out from around her shoulder, instantly attentive as he was whenever she spoke. Aerith held up the photos, flipping to the first one. Cloud didn't want to pay attention; instead he was looking at her hands from all angles, poking her fingernails, and tracing them. "Hey," She said a little louder, catching his hand with her own. She guided his fingers to the photo, and for a moment Cloud stared in delighted wonder at her clasping his palm, and then his big blue eyes found the photos.

He blinked once, and then peered a little closer. He brightened suddenly, and patted her shoulder, and pointed excitedly to the Aerith in the photo.

"Yes Cloud, that's me." She guided his finger to himself. "And that's you, see?"

He looked a little confused, and then smiled and moved his finger back to her in the photo, tracing the outline of her face.

Aerith patiently grabbed his finger again, aware of the others staring at her. She even felt Tifa's eyes on her for the first time. She dragged Cloud's hand to Tifa. "That's Tifa, Cloud. Tifa." She pointed his hand toward the dark-haired woman, who blinked and stared back at Cloud with guarded eyes.

He blinked again, and this time a little crease formed between his eyebrows. Then he smiled brightly again, peeking under the first photo, and giving an excited sound, pointing to the Aerith in the picture again.

Aerith bit her lip. Tifa's eyes once more went downcast red-brown orbs disappearing under her eyelids as she closed her eyes very tightly.

"Yuffie," Aerith tried, though she felt her heart plummet. He had known Tifa since childhood...if he didn't recognize her..."Yuffie," She said again, pointing to the grinning Yuffie in the picture, and then at the uncharacteristically somber one that was staring at them, suddenly looking very much sixteen. Her gray eyes swirled as she looked at Cloud and gave a large, fake, smile, "Come on, Spike! How can't you know who I am, after all we've had together? The passion! The nighttime strolls-" She cut off as Cloud looked at her blankly for about two seconds before starting to trace the Aerith in the picture again.

"Barret," Aerith said, pointing at the man in the picture, and then at the one that looked at them with worried eyes. "Barret." Cloud looked up at him and scowled. Barret sighed, shaking his head, while Cloud's attention was caught by the last photograph- the black and white one. He pulled at it a little, and Aerith flipped to it, the first two photographs falling from her hands. Cloud looked alarmed at the sight of the picture, perhaps wondering why there were no colors.

"It's alright, Cloud," Aerith said soothingly, and he relaxed. She pointed to the fire-cat in the picture. "That's Nanaki, see Cloud?" She traced the outline of the cat's fiery tail. "Nanaki," She insisted, pointing toward the actual Nanaki, whose eyebrows were heavily furrowed, his tail flicking. But Cloud only looked at him for a moment, before once again staring intently at the Aerith in the picture.

"Cloud," Aerith said, pointing at him in the picture. She put her hand on his shoulder. "Cloud." He blinked at her, eyes owlishly large, and childishly innocent, so unlike the eyes she had come to love, and yet somehow the same. "_Cloud_." She insisted, putting her palm against his chest this time, blinking back her tears. "Cloud Strife. That's you." Her fingers bunched in the cloth at his chest, and she bent her head, closing her eyes, tears following the rims of her lashes, and then falling gently.

Something warm pressed against her, and she opened her eyes to find herself staring over Cloud's shoulder, his arms around her. He leaned back, eyebrows furrowed, eyes blue and deep and he lifted his gloved hand and wiped at the tears in her eyes. Suddenly, so suddenly, though she wasn't sure why, he looked like the old Cloud- the Cloud that she had come to know, with all of his selves intact but confused and frightened of things about himself that he did not yet know or understand. Her mouth fell open the slightest amount, as she saw a glimpse of the real Cloud- the one that had blushed at her flirtation, and occaisionally blessed her with his rare, beautiful smiles.

His fingers moved down from her eyes, her lashes now sparkling with the dew of her tears, and stopped at her lips. One finger went on each side and he very slightly, turned her lips up at the corners. She could almost hear Cloud's voice saying: _Smile, Aerith._

But he didn't, he couldn't. And the horror of the situation seemed to fill her, and she leaned forward, burying her face in his neck. "We're going to fix this," She whispered. "I promise, Cloud, we're going to fix this." She leaned back from him and gave a small smile, her eyes still sad. "We will," She insisted. "We'll fix this." Her voice became stronger, and her eyes more determined. At the sight of this, Cloud smiled with his teeth, looking once again like a happy child.

Aerith's hand slid down his arm and into his gloved hand automatically. It was more that just the fact that she knew it made things easier for him. It also felt easy, natural, to hold his hand, as it always had, whenever she had been able to do it before. She turned to the others, but before she could say anything, she caught sight of Tifa. Her face was mostly blank, only the slightest crease between her eyes- but her eyes themselves gave Aerith pause.

They were somewhat bitter, but equally sad, moisture gathering at the rims.

Aerith opened her mouth, taking a half-sep forward. "Tifa-"

Before she could finish, Cid came around the corner, panting slightly. "Fucking sword," He hissed, hoisting himself up to his full height and dragging it toward them. "And fucking cliffs that surround this fucking place. This thing is a hellava lot heavier than Spiky makes it look."

Aerith paused, and looked at the sword, hesitating. For a moment, she almost felt like laughing. Was she supposed to grab it? If Cid couldn't hold it, Aerith knew she couldn't.

But she heard a slight intake of breath, and turned her head toward Cloud. His eyes were riveted on the sword, wide at first, then confused, and then frustrated. He walked forward, pulling at Aerith's hand a little so that she came with him. He stopped just in front of the sword, teeth gritted and eyebrows furrowed, staring at it. "Auh!" He said in apparent irritation. They were all staring at him now, holding their breath.

He reached out his other hand, slowly, hesitantly. His eyes flicked up to Cid with a hard look, and Cid let go, the sword falling directly into Cloud's palm. His hand jerked a little, but that was all he did that showed the weight of the sword. He lifted it just a little off the ground, and then set it down in front of him. He turned toward Aerith with an expression that seemed to say _look what I found!_ But as he turned back to the sword, his smile wavered, and dropped. A look of panic came about his eyes, and his hand began to shake.

"Cloud?" Aerith whispered, eyebrows coming together.

He looked at her with undisguised anguish. His hand suddenly clamped tight on the handle, and he bent his head into her hair, shaking uncontrollably. Aerith gasped, feeling hot tears hit her shoulder. Her arms immediately went around him. "Shhh, shhhh...Cloud, it's alright, it's alright..." She pressed her face into the side of his head, whispering comforting words. His arms gripped her tighter. "Auh...." He moaned. "Auh...ith..."

Her eyes snapped wide open, and she looked up at the others, Cloud still holding her as tight as he could. "Auh...ith..." He cried softly. "Auh...ith..."

The others stared back at her with equally wide eyes.

"Auh...ith..." Cloud whispered, burying his face in her collarbone. "...Ack...Ack..."

Aerith frowned, and then bit her lip. The last one seemed like just another noise, like the other ones he had made before, and yet...but she didn't know what 'Ack' was. It didn't sound like a name, not really...but she had a feeling it meant something.

At that moment, though, Cloud was the only one that knew what that meaning was.

~(~)~(~)~(~)~(~)~(~)~

Cloud calmed down after a little while, and they all went to their rooms. Nothing had really been decided, but enough had happened where they all felt that they could use a lie-down. Aerith curled up in her bed, and Cloud snuggled in beside her. It still made her jump a little, and she wasn't quite sure what to think about the fact that, in literal terms, they were _sleeping_ together. But the thought was gone quickly. Nothing happened between them besides sleep, and it was oddly comforting, in a way, having another person beside her that held her while she slept. She wrapped her arms around him as well, and he gave another smile that was both like and unlike the Cloud she knew. Right now, he needed her. And she wouldn't hurt him because of slight discomfort. They slept, but the next morning brought complications of a nature she had not foreseen.

Aerith rubbed her temples in frustration and nervousness, a blush coating her cheeks.

"What's up with you?" Yuffie's voice came from behind her. The older woman turned, and saw the sixteen-year-old standing in the doorway with a raised eyebrow.

Aerith felt as though she was slowly stretching in every direction- she was tired and dirty and smelly. Cloud's hands clutched at her arm, and her heart felt both pity for his condition, and slight irritation that he was preventing her from completing her basic needs. Aerith put one hand over her eyes. "Yuffie..." she said slowly, hesitantly. "It has been a week since I was able to do more than wash my hands as far as bathing goes."

"Ah..." Yuffie wrinkled her nose. "That would explain the sweat and dirt smell. And here I thought it was me..."

The brunette sighed. "I know, I'm sorry. But I don't know what I can do! I never thought about this...we hadn't had opportunity to wash back at the Forgotten City, and now that we do have the option, I can't do it...I think I'll get to the point eventually where even Cloud minds the stink."

Yuffie laughed. Said blond man had slid to the ground, and was now swinging her legs with his hands. He looked up at her every few seconds, smiling. In spite of herself, Aerith smiled a little. And then she blinked, and looked at him. The way he was moving her legs...was something she often did on her own. It was a habit of hers, swinging her legs like that when she was thinking. Everyone had probably noticed it, just as she twirled her hair in her fingers when she was standing and remembering something. She didn't know if it was significant- after all, Cloud liked touching her, moving her so that he could look at her from every angle, so it didn't mean that he remembered anything...But maybe...Since he almost called her by name now...

Yuffie didn't notice Aerith's pondering. "I dunno...maybe you could get us to hold him down or something."

Aerith jumped, and looked up at the other girl. "No, I don't think that's a good idea...it would just scare him, maybe even hurt him..." She bit her lip. "And Cloud is pretty strong. Especially with no wish to hold back. He could...hurt you all, or himself, trying to get to me..." An idea struck her, and she straightened a little. It would be a bit difficult, but maybe....she walked to where she kept her clothes, grabbing something that was clean- a light green one that had reminded her of a dress her mother back in Midgar had.

She stood, smiling slightly. Cloud immediately stood as well, looking at her curiously, still smiling serenely. "I think I have an idea. If I need help, I'll let you know."

Yuffie shrugged. "'kay. If that happens, just give a holler." She brightened. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to try to get a look at Vince's materia while he's not in his room..." With that, she was off.

Aerith giggled just a little, walking out of the room and down the hall in the opposite direction, stopping at the wooden door that was the linen closet. She opened it and rummaged inside, pulling out one long white towel, and three smaller hand towels. "Come on, Cloud, she said, moving the towels to her other arm so that she could hold his hand properly.

The bathroom was fairly large, and beautifully tiled. Swirls of blues, greens, and purples decorated the interior, showerhead and the faucet expertly shined. The inside of the bathtub was only a little wet, from one of the others, and Aerith peered into it with a slight smile. _This might be a little messy, but I hope it works..._She took a deep breath, and turned to face Cloud.

They had worked out a slight routine. Much as he disliked it, Aerith had pushed him back gently enough, and often enough, that he knew he wasn't supposed to hold her while they were in the bathroom, so that she could take care of some other private needs somewhat more...privately. Her dress kept him from seeing anything. Of course, this would be a bit different. Somehow, Aerith doubted Cloud would like not being able to see her behind the shower curtain.

She grabbed the large towel off the floor, slipping off her jacket. Cloud, who had been staring at her feet, which were not covered with her shoes, as he always did while they were in the bathroom, looked up. Aerith slid the towel up around her calves, and up her thighs, to her waist. The pink cloth bunched, and Aerith turned her body slightly the other direction, biting her lip. She folded the towel over so that it would stay, and she loosened her dress, bringing the straps up so that it would slip more easily over her head, while still being on her shoulders. She brought the towel up as high as she could, before the buttons in the front of her dress stopped her, and she secured it again, slipping her shoulders out of the thin straps of the dress. Making sure the towel was indeed secure, she took a deep breath and flung the dress off, up over her head, right at Cloud's face. Before he could do more than reach toward it, as it hung in front of his eyes, she slipped the towel up the rest of the way.

Cloud quickly pulled the dress away from his eyes, looking confused and slightly worried, before he stopped, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. Aerith looked at him curiously, wondering what was the matter. But as he took a step toward her, she realized. He reached a hand out slowly, and his gloves touched the skin of her shoulder. His eyes went up her shoulder and collarbones, to her eyes again, and Aerith felt her breath catch. His hand slid down her arm, to her waist, and down to the bit of her calf that the towel didn't cover, bending down slightly to do so. He didn't flip up the towel, or reach up into it, merely traced slowly, gently, down her leg, around her knee, and the back of her thigh.

Aerith was frozen, heart thudding in her ears. There wasn't anything inherently forward about his actions, and yet...her stomach turned very warm, and into knots of an oddly pleasurable kind. She forced herself to take a deep breath and step back.

"No, Cloud," She said as firmly as she could, her voice only shaking the slightest amount. She took another step back, already missing the feel of his hands moving over her skin, even if they were covered by gloves...

She shook herself. Now was really, _really_, not the time for such things. Cloud looked at her, and again something in his gaze made her feel warm all over. She took another step back and turned around, turning on the showerhead and bending over, so that her head was under it. She quickly unbraided her hair, pausing as she undid the ribbon, really noticing for the first time that her mother's materia was gone. The others had told her that it had bounced into the water...she bit her lip, and then leaned more into the warm water, scrubbing furiously with her fingers to get all the dirt out of her hair. It took a while, and she kept glancing back at Cloud, who was still staring at her, but would smile brightly whenever she looked back, like a little kid again. When she was done with her hair, her shoulders slightly wet, she grabbed one of the hand towels, running it under the water and covering it with soap, washing the rest of herself, going only as far up her legs as she could without fear of Cloud seeing anything she didn't want him to see. Not yet, at least. Not while he was like this. She used the other two hand towels to dry the parts of her body the large towel couldn't reach, and most of her hair.

She turned off the shower, and faced Cloud again. His mouth went open just the slightest amount, and before she could say anything, he was right in front of her again, his hands moving over the damp masses of her hair, down her back and hips. Aerith took a step back and tripped, falling backward, her foot slipping on the damp floor-

Cloud caught her, spinning her around and slipping backward himself, Aerith landing slightly sprawled right on top of him. She could hardly breathe for a moment, their eyes inches apart, breath in each other's faces, his body very strong and powerful under her. Her wet hair hung down one side of her face, by his head, and he stared up at her, eyes practically paralyzing her. "Auhith..." He said softly, reaching up a hand to push back her bangs, the other hand resting easily on her hip.

Aerith became very aware of the face that one of her legs was between his, and sat up quickly, her face a bit red. It was odd- before, she had been the one always making Cloud blush, and now...she stood up, making sure the towel stayed where it was supposed to, and slipped on her clean dress, undoing the towel as she did so, making sure everything was covered. Cloud was still on the ground, watching as the towel fell, and the dress (which went to her knees) swished. He stood, and went close to her again, stopping just in front of her. "Auhith..." He said again, for one moment looking like the Cloud she knew, before smiling boyishly and taking her hand.

Aerith tightened her fingers in his, taking a few breaths to try and calm her heartbeat.  
"Come on, Cloud. Let's go see the others."

She picked up her towels and her dirty clothes, holding them in one hand, Cloud with the other, walking with him down the hall, to where the friends that only she remembered, were waiting.

~(~(~(~(~(~(~(~(~(~_fin._

* * *

Okay...the shower thing...I just had to do. 'Cause you have to wonder how she would be able to do things like that with Cloud the way he is. Also, was Cloud trying to say what you think he was trying to say? Depends. You'll find out. :D Oh, and for Cloud's sword being really heavy...the way I see it, his Mako-enhanced senses have got to help with that.

Reviews:

kikiofreako: Thanks! I'm glad you like, and I hope you're eye is still on it!

Binxie: Yup, best couple in the world. Glad your interested, and thanks for the review. :)

*shifty eyes*: Well...*coughcough* updates are not as soon as I would always like. As I honestly have not finished the game, I have to do a fair amount of studying to make sure I'm getting everything right. I've read the script through a few times, so I grasp most of it, though. I'm glad you like it, and updates will come when I am not busy with my more popular stories. I love this one, don't get me wrong, but I want to finish some others first...

A. Dracula: Wow, glad you like it so much! While I did not update 'soon', this is an update, so, yay? XD

JustSomeoneRandom: Yeah, I would imagine that that would really suck. Glad you like, and thanks for the review. And yes, poor, poor Cloud.

Bill the Cat Loves ShikaHina: Yay! I'm glad you like it. Sorry this wasn't particularly 'soon' for an update. Thanks!

That's all! Here's a preview for the next chapter:

Pieces: With Cloud in his current state, he's not fit to lead their group anymore. So who will? Cloud can sort of say Aerith's name, but that's it. Otherwise, there's no change...except that he carrys his sword around. Aerith tries to find some way to confront Tifa and talk to her, but with Cloud clinging to her as he does, it's difficult. Finally, they set out to continue tracking Sephiroth.

Reviews are much appreciated! Hope you all liked, and I'll try to be faster with updates.


	4. Pieces

Hey all. I know, I know- an update! Forget 2012, the apocalypse is now!

Sorry, busy busy year. Its summer now, so hopefully updates will be faster, though I can't promise anything, other than that reviews really do help, and that I am not abandoning this story. I'm just trying to finish a hopefully epic novel, and that does take priority over this, I'm afraid.

Still no beta for my Final Fantasy stories. Please PM me if you're interested.

This chapter was hard to write. It was one of those 'in between' things, though several important events happen.

DISCLAIMER: I own none of this, and if I did I'd be a middle aged Japanese man. So, sorry!

Please comment and enjoy.

* * *

Chapter Four

Pieces

Once again, Aerith felt the empty place where her mother's materia had been. She still wasn't used to its absence, and would find herself continually shocked when she would reach her fingers up there, to find nothing. She could feel the others watching her, or perhaps they were watching Cloud. She didn't look up to see, lowering her hands and wrapping them around herself.

"Auhith?" Cloud whispered, his hand tracing along her hand, gently pulling it out, looking at her with his little-boy eyes.

She smiled for him, holding back her tiredness. It was the kind of exhaustion that settled upon one's bones after many days or weeks of stressful activity.

"Alright," Barret said, folding his arms together with some difficulty, leaning against a wall. "We need to decide where we're goin' after we're done with all this shit. No offense," he added, glancing at them all, shrugging. "But we gotta get movin'."

"He's right," Nanaki said, sitting back, his tail flicking against Aerith's leg. "If there is any hope for the planet, and for us to stop Sephiroth, we must make a move now. So, where will we go?"

"First things first," Tifa said, her own arms folded under her breasts. Her eyes flicked to Aerith, before she turned to the others. "We need a leader. We don't have time to come to unanimous decisions while chasing Sephiroth. We function as a team best with a leader. So who will it be?"

No one said anything for a moment. Then Barret stepped forward. "I offered myself as leader before," he said, unfolding his arms. "And that's still somthin' I'm willin' to do."

Before anyone else could speak, Cait Sith jumped in. "Is that fair? Having only one option? We have to go with the best for our leader. We ought to have more nominations, so that we can vote, or something. We have the right to choose our leader. And no offense meant to you, Barret," he bowed his head in Barret's direction. Barret grumbled something under his breath, but nodded.

"So does anyone else want to be the leader?" Aerith asked, ignoring Cloud as he scooted closer, smiling brighter at her voice.

There was another silence. Then Nanaki stood from his place by Aerith. He bowed his head to the others. "I would lead us gladly, if you all would have me." He moved to stand by Barret.

Cid stood straight from where he'd been slouching in a chair. "God knows we need some fucking sense around here," he said, pulling out his cigarette. "But fuck if I'm the one that'll do it. You all would drive me fucking insane." He sat down smartly, smirking. Then he looked toward Aerith. "You're some kinda magic gal. You speak with the planet, right? You know better than anyone what's going on. So, I nominate, you, Aerith." He leaned forward, keeping his eyes on her, his expression uncharacteristically serious.

Aerith didn't move. She didn't know what to say. She just nodded, her mind reeling. She never wanted to be a leader, she didn't know how. She had just always wanted Cloud to be leader…thinking of replacing him was almost painful. Her eyes caught Tifa's, and for the first time in days, the other girl didn't look away. Aerith saw much of her own pain reflected in them, and she admired the strength she saw there in suggesting this. She knew that Tifa was right- they needed a leader if they were to function quickly.

Aerith opened her mouth, but Tifa looked away as soon as she did. Aerith sighed, trying to not let her sadness swallow her whole. She felt Cloud's hand stroke her cheek, and though she knew it was wrong, knew that it was just because of his soul being shattered, she took comfort in that touch, as she always did. She turned her head toward him, his eyes searching her face for more signs of despair, his own expression desperate. She smiled, and just like that his face cleared, and he gave her his own bright smile. She knew that it was part of Cloud, this part that cared for her, that loved her being safe and happy. It was part of Cloud, and she loved it in turn because of that. She loved Cloud, how could she not love any part of him? Even when this sole part controlled his entire being for the moment, even though it made him act like a frightened child and gave him no sense of self.

"Thank you, Cloud," she whispered. He still showed no response to the name. His buster sword lay propped up against the bed they were sitting on. He never let it out of his sight anymore, and this small action had given Aerith hope. Cloud could get better- he had to.

"Well, as much as I'm sure you all would love the leadership of the Great Ninja Yuffie," Yuffie said, twirling her kunai and smiling hugely, "My services are expensive, and you all are far too attached to your materia to afford me."

Cid snorted, muttering something about never letting Yuffie within two feet of his materia.

"So, how do we do this?" Aerith asked, leaning forward a little, feeling as if she had to drag Cloud along as he was holding her arm so close.

"Vote," Vincent said. He looked out of place in the light, standing next to bright pastel sheets on the beds. He tugged at the bit of his cape that covered his face, as if nervous. Aerith couldn't help smiling, and saw that Yuffie was outright giggling.

"You could just take it off, Vince, ya know." She said, still grinning.

He glanced at her and then away, talking as if no one else had spoke. "As Tifa first said, we should vote."

"Well, that has my vote," Barret joked, smiling a lopsided smile.

Chuckling, Nanaki looked at his paws and said, "Perhaps my tail will suffice in this endeavor, yes?"

Yuffie laughed, and suddenly everyone was laughing. Aerith felt tears fall from her eyes as the laughter bubbled up. Tifa was trying in vain to smother her laughter with her fist, while Barret was leaning against the wall for support and Yuffie was laughing openly, rolling on the floor. Nanaki's body was shaking as if he couldn't support himself, Cait Sith was laughing right into his megaphone, the sound magnifying around them. Cid dropped his cigarette and this made everyone laugh harder for a moment. Aerith clutched Cloud for support, until finally she hiccupped into silence, wiping her eyes.

Tifa was doing the same, and Yuffie's face was red. Nanaki shook his head, while Cid and Barret shifted, as though embarrassed. Vincent was staring at them, but Aerith could have sworn that she'd heard him chuckle before they'd fallen into silence.

"Well, if my attempts with Sephiroth don't succeed, perhaps I should become a comedian," Nanaki said dryly, his grin cat-like.

"If your attempts with Sephiroth don't succeed, you will be dead," Vincent said darkly.

Everyone was silent for a moment, staring at Vincent.

"Well," Yuffie commented flippantly. "That was dramatic, Vince, geez."

Aerith felt her smile stay, a playfulness she hadn't felt in weeks rising inside of her. "No kidding, Vincent. Way to ruin the mood." She smiled at him, knowing this would soften her words.

Vincent hesitated, and the others all glanced toward her. Aerith knew why. Though chronologically, it had only been a few weeks, she was known as one that smiled and laughed often. Her mouth felt sore from her laughter, the likes of which she hadn't experienced in far too long. But she rather thought that they had all needed it, needed a moment to release their stress, needed a moment to just laugh. Already she felt somehow better, if only by a little. The atmosphere seemed to change in the room, becoming lighter as the others noticed her smile.

Cloud, delighted at her smile and happiness, laughed, throwing his arms around her and snuggling close.

The spell was broken by the visible reminder of Cloud's condition, as he nuzzled his nosed at her neck, Aerith felt her face flush, fighting to not try and meet Tifa's gaze.

She loved Cloud. She loved him. She wanted him to do these things to her when he was himself, when he would do it in his shy bumbling way, face flushed red, shy smile hovering at the edge of his lips. That was what Aerith wanted, Cloud as he was all put together, the real Cloud that she'd seen all these months when it seemed no one else did.

She had to let Tifa know that she didn't want Cloud this way, no matter what the actions he did seemed. She loved this part of Cloud, yes, but she wanted Cloud to be whole and happy, rather than just a empty shell that existed only for her. She didn't want that, she would never want that.

It was a sudden reversal. Moments before she had been laughing; now she felt as if she were fighting tears again, but she knew she had to keep it all together. She was good at that, at hiding her loneliness and terror from everyone, even those that she half wished could see it.

"We should probably hurry," she murmured. "The sooner we get going, the better."

"Okay," Tifa said, speaking over Aerith's voice as if she hadn't spoken. "So, all for Barret, raise your hands."

Tifa's dark eyes met Aerith's for a moment again, and Aerith saw a sadness that almost equaled her own- as well as something like fear, and shame. She offered a small smile, and Tifa blinked before quickly looking away.

Barret raised his hand, as did Tifa and Cait.

"Three." Tifa said, lowering her hand. "Those for Nanaki?"

Aerith raised her hand, Nanaki raised his tail, and Yuffie raised her hand as well. Nanaki raised an eyebrow at her, but Yuffie shrugged, glancing at Aerith, and Aerith had to smile. Yuffie knew that she didn't want to lead.

"Three again," Tifa said. "And, for Aerith…"

Vincent raised his hand, as did Cid. Aerith smiled at them both, nodding her head.

"A tie," Cait said, fingers twiddling on his megaphone. "Between Barret and Nanaki now, aye?"

Tifa dipped her head. They voted again, with Cid and Vincent voting for Nanaki this time.

"Five to three," Barret said, sighing. "Damn. I'm a good leader ya know? I did lead a lotta attacks on Reactors…" he continued grumbling good naturedly under his breath. Tifa offered him a smile, and patted his arm.

"Okay, Nanaki, oh wise leader. Wherever shall we go?" Yuffie bounced lightly on the bed.

Nanaki stepped forward towards the center of the circle, holding his head high. "There's been news of Sephiroth up north, by Icicle village."

Aerith blinked, straightening up, her heart thudding. "I-Icicle Village? Really?"

Nanaki frowned at her. "Yes. Why?"

Aerith shook her head, smiling slightly. "I was born there." Her voice was quiet. "That's where the Shinra…killed my father, and took my mother and me. I wasn't even a year old, when Hojo came…"

"Hojo?" Vincent hissed, his cape flicking as he leaned forward, gauntlet flashing as he clenched his fist. It was the most violent reaction Aerith had ever seen from him.

Aerith gave a light laugh, knowing by her friends faces that her sadness and fear from the memories was playing over and over in her mind. "I know Hojo quite well." Her hands twined together in her lap. "I lived with the Shinra for around nine years." She bit her lip, staring past the others. "It will be good to go to where I was born. I don't remember it at all…I wonder if I could see my house…"

"We'll have to be even more careful," Nanaki said, his brows furrowed. "Sephiroth may know these things about you, and could be laying a trap."

"Nanaki's right, Aerith. We have to be careful." Yuffie's face was uncharacteristically somber, and Aerith knew that they were all thinking of what had almost happened to her, and what had happened to Cloud as a result.

She nodded. "I know. Don't worry." She gave a small smile, feeling Cloud tug on her hand. Aerith looked at him, "Yes, Cloud?"

"Auhith…" He brought his hand up, cradling her face. She couldn't help the larger smile that flitted across her face, and his own bright grin answered her. "Auith!" Suddenly, he hugged her close, nearly suffocating her.

"Cloud?" She gasped, wriggling in his grip. He pulled back, and looked her right in the face, his hands moving to cup her cheeks. His eyes seemed deeper than ever, and his eyebrows furrowed slightly. Then his lips turned up a little, and Aerith gave a slight gasp.

That was how Cloud had smiled before- the true Cloud smile she had come to love.

"Auhith…" He stroked her lips with his fingers, lightly brushing them, going across to the corners, pulling up slightly.

Aerith let her lips curve with his fingers, unable to breathe, or say anything.

He ducked his head, looking up at her, smiling still shyly. In her head, she could hear Cloud's voice saying to her- _I'm- we're –here for you._

She took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment, nodding. "I know Cloud. I know."

Making a humming noise in the back of his throat, he leaned closer, snuggling, his nose rubbing against her neck, like a small creature seeking warmth. Aerith wrapped her arms around him, not even thinking about the action, drawing herself close. She had always hoped to hold him this way, to have him hold her.

Like this, but not like this, not with empty childlike eyes, or a mind that had no thoughts save for her, no sense of identity.

_I'll fix this Cloud. We'll save you. I promise._ She looked up at the others, her lips set. Letting out a breath, she tried a smile again for her friends. All but one met her eyes.

Tifa was determinedly not looking at them, her hair falling over her face, shoulders stiff. Aerith wrenched her own gaze away from the other woman, her heart seizing upon itself.

"When will we leave, Nanaki?" She murmured, steeling herself so that she could look at Tifa again, keeping her eyes steady, waiting for Tifa to look up.

"Tomorrow would be best," Nanaki said, idly lifting a paw and scratching behind his head. "So," He drew his shoulders back, looking around at them all. "We need to gather supplies, and make sure all of our materia is up to scratch. We need potions, elixirs, phoenix downs, and so on. Tifa, Barret, please gather those. Vincent and Yuffie, go weapon shopping. There are few shops that sell weapons in Cosmo Canyon, as the people here are primarily interested in research, but there are some to deal with the tougher creatures deeper in the canyon that the mako has mutated." He paused, and then continued.

"Cait, make sure our current equipment is in good repair, especially our communications. Cid, check up on your airship- I know it is a great ship-" he added quickly as Cid straightened indignantly. "-but just do it anyway, please. The last thing we need is to crash land right now." He nodded to the others as they began to leave.

"Aerith," he said, facing her again. "Please come with me."

Nodding, Aerith attempted to stand, grabbing Cloud's hand in her own, pulling him along with her while he giggled- actually _giggled_.

"I would like you to go over everyone's materia, especially the summons, alright?" He stopped in front of a room at the end of a hall. A moogle ambled past them, tottering happily by. Ignoring the pink creature, Nanaki nodded toward the door. "My grandfather is meeting with the other elders in there. He wanted to speak with you, and said that I may sit in as well. I'll help you with the materia afterward."

Nodding, Aerith knocked on the door, ignoring Cloud as he hovered by her shoulder.

The door swung open. "Come in, come in! Ho ho hooo!"

Chuckling, Nanaki followed Aerith through the door.

(~(~(~(~(~(~(~)~)~)~)~)~)

"Teef?"

"Yes, Barret?" She grabbed a bottle of elixir, examining the price.

He shuffled uncomfortably, weighted down with the items they'd already purchased. "I gotta talk to you." He hesitated. "About Aerith."

Tifa's hand froze in mid air, the elixir nearly slipping out of her hands. "Aerith," she repeated.

"Yeah." Barret shifted one of the potions in his hands. "I've seen the looks you two are exchangin'. You're both hurt, and the longer you two don't talk, the worse it gets." He stopped for a moment, then went on. "Tifa, it wasn't her fault, what happened to Cloud…"

"I know…" Tifa whispered, her hair falling forward, blocking her face from view.

"An' its not as if she's enjoying it. She doesn't want Cloud to be that way…"

"I know." Tifa's hand shook as she put down the bottle of elixir.

"She almost died, Teef. She is so afraid for Cloud and all of us, I don't think she's really thought o' that part. An' I've seen her face when you turn away from her. She doesn't know what to do, and with you not speakin' to her-"

"I KNOW!" Tifa shouted, whirling on him, her eyes fierce and wild and filled with tears. "I know, Barret! She didn't ask for any of this, and she's dealing with it, dealing with Cloud needing her and holding her, dealing with Cloud knowing of no one but her! She's staying strong and she needs someone, but how can that someone be me?" Her voice quieted, even as she continued to shake, tears falling steadily down her face. "We both feel the same way about Cloud, and he doesn't know me at all now. Am I supposed to not fight for him? Am I supposed to watch it all happen? Is it fair that I break my heart, so long as they are happy together?"

Barret watched as she continued to cry. With difficulty, he set down all the items they had bought, putting them on the ground next to them. He eased Tifa onto a nearby boulder, sitting beside her.

Her hands covered her eyes now. "Am I supposed to hate her," she whispered, "But love her too? Am I supposed to hate myself this much, be so vindictive and mean? Am I supposed to just give up now? He promised that he'd save me, he promised me! But I've been dangling over the edge for months now, and he's never lifted a hand. He hasn't noticed that my body is flailing over the side of a cliff." She lowered her hands slowly. "Am I supposed to stop crying for help when I need it most? Am I supposed to give even more of myself and my dreams so that others can be happy?" Her voice gained more fervor.

"What right do I have? That reactor back in Midgar- that killed so many people…mothers and fathers and daughters and sons…am I supposed to be able to live with that? Especially wh- when the person I want to tell all of this to the most…" she hiccupped, wiping at her eyes. "Doesn't give a damn…what am I supposed to do then? Pretend that I'm happy, and just let it eat me away inside? What then, Barret? She almost died, Barret, she almost died, and if she had I would've maybe had a chance- that is what my brain thought for a moment. That's as good as wishing she were dead, Barret!" She gave a harsh laugh that was so unlike her. "I go along anyway, no matter what. And that's what she does too, but she lives Barret. She lives and she ends up happy, somehow, even though I can see the sadness in her eyes. Am I supposed to settle, to never try for true happiness because I lost my chance before?"

Tifa tired to stall her tears, but they still came. She knuckled her eyes, sniffling, wondering if it was possible to cry yourself dry.

After several moments, Barret spoke, his flesh hand on her shoulder. "I don't know, Tifa. All I know is that…you've got us, ya know? You've got us, and we're your friends. Aerith is your best friend, Tifa. D'you think maybe you should try talking to people about this stuff, 'stead of keepin' it locked up? Cause I listened just now, didn't I? I'm not sure what to say 'cept that I'm here for you. And that you can't blame yourself for everything. You can't be happy that way, Teef. I know it doesn't help, and hell, I don't always follow my own advice, but," he squeezed her shoulder. "Its true, still. You want so badly to do good, and you're really aware when you don't. That's a good thing, Teef. It means ya know the dif'rence. And not everyone does, ya know?"

Her head bent, her hands clasped on top of her knees. She didn't answer, but she seemed softer, somehow.

Barret took a deep breath. He wasn't very good with this kind of thing, but he wryly thought that it would be good practice for Marlene.

"An' one more thing," he said. "Far as Cloud goes…Teef, you are Aerith are both great girls. Women. I don't know what will happen, who will be with who or whatever, but I do know that it'll work out. And that maybe…you shouldn't give up on happiness. With, or without him lovin' you. You _can_ be happy, Tifa." He stood up, speaking quietly. "We'd better get back in a minute. I'll get the elixir, Teef." He walked toward their gathered items, speaking with the shopkeeper, grunting an agreement to the price.

After a few moments, Tifa sat straighter, tucking her hair behind her ears. She tilted her head up, letting the breeze dry the tear tracks on her face.

Slowly, her lips curved in a smile.

Aerith collapsed on the bed, blowing her hair out of her face. None of the elders had been able to say anything that might help Cloud, though they had promised to keep in touch, and provide any new information if they found some. She couldn't loose hope now, she knew that, but it was disappointing all the same.

Taking care of the materia hadn't been too hard, so now there was little she had to do, except wait for the others to return, or else get some sleep so that she would be more rested for when they left.

Cloud had been immensely happy to get away from the elders. He was used to their friends more or less by now, but the elders always tried to examine him closely, and Cloud was always distressed when they did, though Aerith managed to calm him down quickly. He sat next to her on the bed, watching her with the same wonder and single-minded attention.

Kicking off her boots, Aerith slid farther up the bed, Cloud practically glued to her side. It was odd how used to it she was getting. Sometimes, rather like remembering that she was missing her mother's materia, it hit her when she least expected it.

Cloud leaned forward, obviously assuming they were going to sleep, wrapping his arms around her. Aerith attempted to stay upright, not tired enough to sleep. His fingers pressed against her side, and she gasped. He froze, looking up at her. Eyes wide like a child with a precious discovery, he poked her side again.

A titter escaped her, and she clapped a hand over her mouth. "Cloud," she began, but any other words she might have spoken were lost as Cloud wiggled his fingers against her side.

Her laughter was loud and somewhat wild, but it felt good at first. Cloud pinned her down, his hands tickling her stomach everywhere, laughing just as much as she was.

Aerith pushed feebly at his arms, trying to gasp out a plead to stop, even as her mouth hurt from smiling so much. If she would have been able to, she would have kissed him, because once again in that moment, he looked like Cloud- like the real Cloud. Even with the out of character laughter, the laughter was not mindless giggling, it was real, somehow, and Aerith fought vainly to tickle him back, even as he dodged her hands, expression seeming to say 'Close, but not close enough!'

She couldn't even form words- all that came out was ragged gasps, hardly able to even laugh any more, though her smile didn't drop, and she wriggled like a fish, trying to escape.

"Aerith!" He crowed happily, poking her in the side again. "Aerith!"

She couldn't even really register that he had said her actual name, when he stopped suddenly, clambering off of her and turning around, whining low in his throat, staring toward the door.

Trying to catch her breath, Aerith sat up, straightening her clothes and hair, laying her hand on Cloud's arm. "What is it, Cloud?" She looked around him, and for a moment, she once again could say nothing at all.

Tifa stood in the doorway, posed as if ready to run at any moment.

"Ti-" Aerith licked her lips, trying to clear her throat. "Tifa? Hi. What are you…Tifa, I, we, we need to-" She took a step forward, ready to try and explain, to try and heal the sharp wound that seemed to have been dug between them.

Tifa cut her off, raising a hand. She walked forward a little into the room, wincing as Cloud edged back, tugging on Aerith's hand.

"Aerith…" He said, pulling her toward him.

"Its alright Cloud," she said automatically. "Its just Tifa. She's your friend. Your childhood friend."

Once again, Tifa seemed to wince, but then she drew her shoulders back, and took a deep breath. "I came here…because we need to talk, Aerith. There are some things…I need to say. And I would like you to please sit down, and listen."

"Of course." Aerith sat back against the bed, leaving room for Tifa to sit across from her. The other woman did so, all of her body language and movements hesitant, as if afraid. Her dark head ducked, hair falling over her face, before she seemed to steel herself, and look into Aerith's eyes.

"I haven't been honest," she began. "There's…a lot to tell. Please just…listen, until I am done, alright? You're…my best friend, Aerith. I almost lost you recently. I should have told you this before, but I was too cowardly."

Cowardly was not a word Aerith would have used to describe Tifa, but she didn't say anything, just listening, even as Cloud ran his hands over her arm.

Tifa's eyes caught on this movement for a second, but then she looked at Aerith again, and began.

END OF CHAPTER

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Well, that's that. I'm fairly confident with how the next chapter will go, and I had to do a lot of research for this and the upcoming chapters.

Reviews!

aerinoayuna: Well, I updated not long after you reviewed. You're probably the only one. :P Glad you like, and hope you enjoy this! (No one does ever think about the hygiene things, do they?)

HauntingRequiems: I'm glad you love it! Hope you love this chapter too, sorry I didn't hurry more.

BoomChick: Yeah, major emotional ouch for everyone, though that's starting to patch up a bit now. Thank you, I'm glad so many find this original. :) NaNoWriMo usually just involves me working on my ongoing novel, which is indeed doing well.

blackroseaerith: Aw, I'm glad you like it so much. Its hard to find good C/A these days, isn't it?

Mehgo: You probably thought I'd died or something, huh? *checks pulse* Nope, not yet!

H-bomber: Thank you! Well, there's more right here, what do ya know? :)

*shifty eyes*: Yes, sorry this update took so long. A lot happened, what can I say? Yes, the shower thing is rarely seen, but I rather thought it made sense. I feel bad to Tifa as well- she can be annoying, but there is a lot to her character, and she's a nice challenge to write. Glad you like!

clow-san: Thank you! Haha, don't want it to hurt, but I'm glad you like.

Aeris Rommyu: Thanks. :D As for what Cloud was saying...well, you'll see!

Bill The Cat: Glad your wondering was answered! And I hope you feel the same about this update, heh...

Superis: Indeed. C/A rules. Thanks!

JustSomeoneRandom: The pictures were fun to write. I tried to capture their natural personalities. And Thanks! As for what Cloud was saying, you'll see. For Aerith and Tifa...all questions will be answered soon...

senna-robbins: Thanks so much! :) And well...perhaps. You'll see!

TenshiReike: Glad you like. And a lot of people are guessing correctly, but for the definitive answer, you'll see later.

Ashton mcdizzle: Thank you! And hmm. That would be interesting, but very difficult. Perhaps a tie-in oneshot when I'm stuck. I'll have to keep that in mind. Thanks!

That's it. Thanks so much to everyone for reviewing. I'll do my best to update more quickly.

Next chapter preview:

Shards: Tifa reveals all that she's been hiding. Can Aerith repair their friendship, even as Cloud seems to dislike Tifa most of all? Why is this so? Finally with a destination in mind, they set off after Sephiroth, toward Aerith's birthplace, where a welcoming committee is waiting. What will happen when they have to fight? Can Cloud handle it?

'Till next time

~AerithHeart


	5. Shards

Hey all! I know its been a while, but I hope I make up for it with a long chapter!

So, a few bits of explanation. Due to a mishap, I wrote earlier that Cloud had already given Sephiroth the Black Materia, when that shouldn't have happened till after Aerith's death. Now that I'm this far in the story, changing that would really mess with things, so let's just say that pretty much everything with the Black Materia situation happened, with a two major differences- the capture of Barret and Tifa, and the battle with Elena on the mountain. You'll see how it all plays out. :)

This chapter is a little dialogue heavy, due to me relying on the script for a certain scene, but hopefully it's still exciting enough (and yes, I added a few things in).

One other note: I try very hard to have each character share the spotlight. I think the person I succeed the least with is Cait Sith, mostly because he's a talking robot cat. There's only so much I can do with that. :P Anyway, I hope the characters all get their time to shine!

Also, I know there's quite a bit of time between updates, but alas that is real life. I'm not going to abandon this story, though, even if it takes me a while to finish. I recently had a really cool idea for another FF7 Cloud/Aerith story, and that has really helped to recapture my interest in the series. A lot of the fandom, especially for C/A, feels like its dying down, but I love it as much as ever!

DISCLAIMER: Yo no tengo Final Fantasy 7

* * *

Chapter Five

Shards

"The best place to start, like always, is at the beginning." Tifa's hands curled in her lap. A few strands of hair fell over her shoulder, curling gently under her chin. The way the light struck her face made her seem almost ethereal. She spoke slowly, not as if she were carefully omitting certain details, but as if saying these things truly was a physical burden.

"We grew up in the same town, Cloud and I. You know that much. We lived close by each other, saw each other almost every day."

"You were childhood friends," Aerith agreed, gently pushing Cloud's hand away from her face so she could see Tifa more clearly.

Tifa closed her eyes tightly and shook her head. For several moments, she didn't speak. "No," she said, her voice almost hoarse. "We weren't."

Aerith blinked. "What-"

Tifa held up a shaking hand, and Aerith nodded for her to go on.

She took a deep breath and continued. "Cloud liked me. Back then, practically every boy in town did. We weren't a large town, and there were far more boys than girls. I was popular, and had a lot of friends. Cloud… had no friends at all. We never included him. I never talked to him, except for a few words exchanged when I had to. I didn't like him, because no one else did. Even then, though, I could see that he was different, to the point that, years later when he was leaving, I finally decided to 'grace him with my presence'." Tifa laughed bitterly, leaning over and putting a hand over her eyes.

"You may have heard me make allusions toward a promise between Cloud and myself. Maybe not. What I am talking about is when Cloud was leaving to join Soldier. I was only twelve, he was thirteen. He asked me, the night before he left, to meet me by the well. For the first time, we had an actual conversation. He told me where he was going, how he wanted to be 'just like the _great_ Sephiroth'…" Her fingers tightened, pressing against her scalp. "I asked him to promise that he would come and save me if I was ever in a bind; to be my hero. After a lot of prodding, he agreed."

"Years passed. The newspapers brought more and more details of Sephiroth, his great deeds. I waited in Nebelheim, holding on to the promise that Cloud had made. I don't know why; it wasn't a ifs we knew each other, but as the years passed I thought of him in Soldier. I pictured him as a great hero, better than all the others, coming back to that small town to save me…" Tifa blinked back tears in her eyes; she wiped at them angrily.

"Tifa-" Aerith stood, reaching out toward her, but Tifa held up her hands, shaking her head wildly. "No!" Aerith started, drawing her hand back slowly. Cloud made a low sound in his throat, like a growl, putting himself in front of Aerith. She pulled on his shoulder, whispering reassuringly as Tifa calmed, swallowing. "Wait until I'm done. Please."

Aerith nodded, sitting back on the bed, pulling gently on Cloud to get him to follow. He smiled, snuggling up against her neck like an animal seeking comfort in another's warm fur.

"I didn't know Cloud was there," Tifa said in a rush, her hands gripping her knees. "Cloud told it all as if we saw each other, but we didn't! I was saved by a soldier in a helmet- I-I never saw his face. I only saw Sephiroth, and another man, a member of First Class Soldier with black hair and blue eyes…he kind of looked like Cloud, but it wasn't him."

Aerith could have sworn her heart stopped. _Black hair. Blue eyes…looks like Cloud…1__st__ Class Soldier…no, it can't be…_

"What was his name?" her voice came out as a whisper, and Cloud's smile at her voice melted into a frown at her distress.

Tifa furrowed her eyebrows, confusion replacing her sadness, if only for a moment. "Zack, I think. Why?"

Aerith found herself quite unable to say anything. _Zack. So you were there too? You knew Cloud?_ She had always noticed similarities between them; they walked similarly, had similar eyes and hair. The likeness had bothered her at first, but as she'd gotten to know Cloud, she'd realized just how different he was, and how it was as if he didn't even know himself.

With what Tifa was saying, that very well could have been the case.

"I knew him," Aerith said finally. It felt like her lips barely moved. "He was…my first boyfriend. I haven't heard from him in a long time."

"Oh." There was silence for a moment.

"Please," Aerith sad, trying to shake herself out of her thoughts. "Go on."

Cloud was looking at her, distressed at her stillness. He tugged lightly on her hair, as if trying to make her move again; like a child with a broken toy.

She made herself smile, but Cloud did not smile back; instead he continued to watch her face, his forehead creased. It had taken him awhile, back when he was himself, to be able to tell when she wasn't really smiling; when she was smiling only to hide her sadness. He hadn't commented on it once; but the look he gave her was clearer than any words.

He was giving her a near identical look now; if not for the still childishly wide eyes, it would have been the exact same.

_Bits and pieces of the real Cloud, even more fractured than they were when I first met him. But those pieces are still there, and that has to mean something. _

Tifa was watching her with her solemn eyes, hands shaking slightly. "I never saw him," she said again. "I never really knew him." She said it almost as if reassuring herself. "I wasn't his friend…" her face crumpled. "Have never been his friend…"

Aerith didn't know what to say.

_Cloud wasn't there…but he thought he was…_

_Zack- Zack was there! How could Cloud possibly know these things without knowing Zack? How could Cloud…_

_Oh, Tifa… _

Tifa closed her eyes, her voice soft. "All of this time…I thought about the promise Cloud made me…it was so important to me. The idea that when I needed it, someone would save me. I…" she opened her eyes and fiddled with her gloves, staring at her hands. "From a young age I learned how to protect myself; how to protect others. I wanted someone to do the same for me. I wanted someone to keep me safe…" she choked for a moment, and took several deep breaths. With what seemed to be all of her courage, she looked up at Aerith.

"I thought for a long time about what I wanted, what I would say, and the truth is- the truth is that I know why Cloud doesn't like me." The last few words were hardly audible.

"What?" Aerith's word was more of a breath.

"He doesn't like me now, more than the others. And l know why…" Tifa closed her eyes briefly. "Bugenhagen said that he lost himself. But Cloud was lost before. He'd forgotten things, things about himself…it was like he was far away. But even then…even then bits of him were there, and that hasn't changed."

Aerith remembered what she'd said to him on their date- thinking of how similar he was to Zack in his movements…but then how awkward he was, how he was shy and quiet. The real Cloud had been there all along; she could see it, she knew the others could glimpse it, but it had been hidden from himself, of all people.

_A puppet, Sephiroth called him. But he resisted. He was still there._

"He doesn't remember," Tifa continued softly, "but parts of himself are still there…and whatever was in his head before, whatever it was that made him confused about the past…that's gone now. And all that's left is what really happened…" she let out a shaky breath, trying to speak even as her voice grew higher and her words hard to distinguish.

"Never his friend—and I kept it from him—and, and, that's not what you're supposed to do—but—"

Aerith stood and walked quickly over to Tifa, even as the other woman drew back, shaking her head, tears falling steadily now.

Even as she heard Cloud immediately follow her, even as she felt his hands at her back, she did not move. She wrapped her arms around her best friend, and held her. She knew that Tifa, like herself, wasn't one to break down and sob; seeing her in such a state made her arms curl tighter, and she felt Tifa do the same. After a few moments, her breathing eased, but Aerith could feel the tears falling gently onto her shoulder.

For a while, they sat together and just breathed.

"I'm sorry," Tifa whispered. "For how I've been."

"Tifa-"

"Please," Tifa cut across her, drawing back. Her eyes seemed to flick involuntarily to Cloud, standing behind her, and she closed her eyes for a moment. "Please," she said again, opening them. "I wronged you. I was distant and hurt you and I'm so- so sorry." Her head bent, looking at her knees.

Aerith knew that their friendship was an odd one; how many people were friends with someone that loved the guy you loved? But even in the beginning, it had been impossible to not care for each other, to love each other, like sisters. She knew that they had been jealous of each other; that there had been times they had been quiet, thinking that surely the other had won Cloud's favor. Or the guilt that sometimes came for trying to be the one he loved. Never, never, had their feelings changed. They were sisters in all but blood.

Aerith looked at her, and reached forward, grabbing her shoulder. "Thank you," she said. She squeezed her shoulder. "It's going to be alright."

Tifa nodded, not saying anything.

"I was jealous of you," Aerith said suddenly.

A smile twitched on Tifa's lips. "And I of you."

Aerith felt her own smile grow, but it dropped when Tifa looked up at her. There was still bitterness in those eyes, but also ultimately, acceptance.

"He loves you, you know," Tifa said, and for a second pain flashed across her face.

It felt as if her insides had frozen. "What?"

"He loves you." Tifa didn't look away, even though her shoulders were shaking again. "Everyone could see it. He would look at you sometimes, when you were making a fire or pitching a tent and he looked so…at peace." A sad smile crossed her face. "And when you smiled- I don't know how to say it, but looking at him…I knew. I've been denying it to myself all this time, but I can't do that anymore." Her gaze grew hard, determined. "I can't do that. It will just break my heart, and hurt you. I can't do that if I want to be happy. I have to move on." Her fists clenched tightly.

Aerith didn't know what to say. It was too much to hope for, and too sad to express.

"Tifa…"

"I think I've known in my heart for a while that I had to do this," Tifa went on, as if she were talking to herself. "That I had to…step back." Her hands were shaking, and she fiddled with some hair that had fallen over her shoulder. Her eyes flicked to Cloud. "At this point…I want him to not hate me. I want us to be friends. Real friends. And for that…I have to let go." She looked at Cloud. He didn't seem to notice her, and Tifa took a deep breath. "I just hope that when he's back to normal, he'll have it in his heart to forgive me."

She still didn't know what to say. The hurt, for all of them, was almost too much. Aerith took a deep breath and reached for Tifa's hand, squeezing it. Tifa's fingers curled with hers, and she leaned against her.

Neither of them cried. They sat like that for quite some time, Cloud nestled happily against Aerith's other side, no words able to come.

(~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~)

Snowflakes blew gently past the window. Aerith pressed her fingers to the glass, feeling the chill move up her hand.

The town was small; a few stores lined the streets, houses in between, while a large Inn stood out among them, as one of the only buildings with more than one floor. At the edge of the small town were mountains, towering above all the houses. Aerith squinted, seeing a small building on the mountainside, like a lodge.

"Doesn't seem like the best place for Sephiroth to hide," Yuffie commented dryly, watching as a mother tried to pull her wailing child across the street, while further down the way an old man walked carefully on the icy road, each step measured. "There's like, five houses."

"And some fucking huge mountains," Cid added, nudging Yuffie on the back of the head, opening the door. "Shit, this ship's gonna be covered in snow by the time we get back."

Yuffie stuck her tongue out at him.

The cool wind blew over them, and Aerith pulled her jacket tighter around her shoulders.

Nanaki stepped cautiously outside, sliding a little on the ramp. "Everyone," he called back, turning his head toward them, "Make sure you're dressed warmly. The last thing we need is someone to get hypothermia."

"Aye aye!" Yuffie gave a mock salute, sliding down the ramp like she would on a snowboard.

Tifa narrowed her eyes thoughtfully, watching the people on the street. "If there have been rumors of Sephiroth around, people here are bound to know. In a town this small, nothing stays secret."

"God damn," Barret said, as he joined the others on the ground. "The thief's right, not too many places Sephiroth could hide here."

Aerith stood at the top of the ramp, Cloud's hands wrapped around her arm. He looked at the falling snow with a mix of childlike curiosity and fear.

A snowflake landed on his nose, and he stared at it, cross eyed.

Aerith chuckled, and he looked at her. For a moment, she was breathless. _Cloud_, the real Cloud, was in that look, full of pride and embarrassment and humor he didn't know how to express. She felt a snowflake fall on her cheek, and Cloud's eyes focused on it. It was all so familiar, his expressions and movements, and yet, as he giggled and gently wiped at her cheek, it was enough to make her want to scream.

She felt everyone's eyes on her, and the desire grew. This wasn't Cloud. And this wasn't love, no matter what Tifa said. It wasn't proof of how he felt for her; it was empty, like an obsession. The real Cloud; maybe he did love her, but she would never know unless she could get him back.

"Come," Nanaki said, breaking the silence. He butted his nose against her shin kindly. "Let's get moving. Tifa is right; we should talk to the locals, see what they have to say."

As they walked, the others found ways to gently offer comfort. She guessed her thoughts must have shown on her face; Tifa clasped her hand for a moment, Yuffie wrapped her arm with hers and gave her a sideways hug. Cait climbed on top of her shoulders, and sat there for several minutes, talking about how the snow would surely freeze up Mog. Cid sort of quickly pat her back, and Barret actually mussed her hair, like she imagined he did with Marlene. Vincent did a kind of twitch in her direction, and then stood much closer than usual, as if ready to fend off any monster that dared attack.

Aerith felt warm, like a small fire was held near her heart. _My friends. I am so lucky._

Cloud drew closer to her, watching their friends warily. His eyes narrowed at Barret, and when Tifa came over, he slid even closer.

Tifa kept her face straight, but her hand clenched in Aerith's. Aerith squeezed it back.

It hadn't really hit her, yet, that she had been born in this little town. That her father had died there. Her mother had talked about it often, about him, and had said once that it had been the best time of her life.

Aerith remembered her mother; soft face, thinned by pain, how her eyes were always bright, and the _look_ on her face when she spoke of her dead husband. The winter air was thick, and it wasn't hard to imagine her mother, cheeks pink, scarf wrapped around her, her hands twining with a tall man, laughing and spinning in the falling snow.

She blinked back tears. Even after all those years, she still missed her mother. She supposed in some ways it was easier for her than others. After all, she could still feel her mother, her essence, and it was with her always.

Nanaki nodded toward a shop on the right side of the street; its windows were fogged, but lights shone brightly through.

The old man at the counter gave a slight wave as they walked through, raising his eyebrows at the number of people with them.

A young man at the counter finished paying, and the shopkeeper turned toward them. "What can I do for ya? Seems like you've sure traveled long."

"Hell yeah," Yuffie peered in a glass case. "Can't tell ya how long though, I was puking most of the way. Anyway," she looked up at the man, grinning. "Any creepers come through town with long silver hai- ow!" She glared down at Nanaki, and he moved his foot from on top of hers.

"I'm sorry," Tifa said hurriedly, coming forward. "We were just wondering if anything, well, unusual has happened recently."

"Any strange people come through?" Cid added, leaning back on his spear.

The shopkeeper eyed Cloud as he stood behind Aerith, peeking over her shoulder, and then looked at Vincent, who as always, lurked in a darker corner of the room.

"You all investigators or somethin'?" The man wiped down the counter.

"Something like that," Aerith said lightly, smiling a little. "Just a private little thing."

The man shrugged. "Well, I've got nothin' to hide. There's a shack in the middle of town that no one goes to anymore, 'cept stupid kids lookin to get scared. Some scientist lived there with his wife. Someone killed them, and the place has stayed empty since."

Aerith couldn't breathe. _Could it be?_

"Couple days ago, some guy went poking around in there." The shopkeeper's eyes flicked to Yuffie. "All in black. Silver hair. Didn't get a good look at him, and after that I think he headed toward the mountains."

When they went outside, it was easy to spot the shack. It was run down, old, and some of the ceiling looked like it had caved in. The door hung off its hinges.

Instinctively, Aerith clutched at Cloud's hand. He whimpered, and looked at her, drawing closer. "Aerith," he whispered.

She took a deep breath, and looked at the others.

"We have to be prepared for a trap," Nanaki cautioned. "Sephiroth may have left something for us there."

"Hey, wait!" Yuffie sprinted ahead of them, and stopped a few feet in front of the house. "Stay back," she called, plunging her hand into the snow. After a few seconds, she stood straight, something clenched in her fist. She drew her arm back, and threw it through the door.

There was a faint skipping sound as the rock bounced a few times on the floor inside. They waited, watching the house.

"Could still be somethin' there," Barret muttered.

"Well, we aint fucking gonna know if we freeze our asses off out here," Cid lit a cigarette, shifting his weapon on his shoulder.

Nanaki nodded. "Exactly. We just have to take the chance. Let's go."

Tifa touched Aerith's shoulder. "Are you alright?"

She nodded. Her lips hardly moved when she spoke. "I think…that may have been my parent's house. Where my father died."

Tifa bit her lip. "Then we should go." She held out her hand, and Aerith took it, taking a deep breath. "Yeah. Let's go."

Inside were tables, computers, a torn up sofa, and a few broken chairs. Against the far wall, under the intact ceiling, a screen with many blinking buttons sat, the picture slightly fuzzy.

Aerith's boots scuffed a little, wiping away the snow in the front hall. Tifa gasped.

There was a reddish stain on the floor, under her boots.

_My father's blood. Oh, oh-_

She ran to the middle of the room, ignoring the calls of her friends. She stared around at the ruined home. Maybe they ate dinner at the table, made love in the next room. Maybe they sat at that couch and held her.

Cloud tugged at her arm, making small noises of distress, whimpering her name.

"Oh Cloud." Aerith wrapped her arms around him, burying her neck in his shoulder. His arms pulled tighter around her, and for a moment, he really was Cloud, and he was holding her because he wanted her to feel better.

"Hey, take a look at this," Yuffie called over, and Aerith turned. The others were gathered around the screen. She walked over, each step heavy.

On the screen were three options, shown in heavy block letters.

THE ORIGINAL CRISIS

WHAT IS 'WEAPON'

CONFIDENTIAL

"Someone has been here," Vincent said, leaning closer to the machine. "The keyboard is clean of dust."

"Sephiroth!" Barret's hand fisted.

"Quite possibly," Nanaki said thoughtfully. "He looked at whatever is on here."

"It is a video file," Vincent muttered. "Shinra design. I recognize the style."

"Aye," Cait bobbed his head. "Then we ought to watch it."

The Nanaki nodded, but then stopped, and looked up at Aerith. He regarded her seriously. "Are you sure you want to see this?"

She nodded. The others stared at her, and for a moment her heart swelled again at having such friends.

He looked at her for a few more moments, and then nodded again. "Very well. Someone start it, then."

Yuffie glanced at Aerith one more time, and pressed a small button on the console, labled 'PLAY'.

The screen went black for a moment, and then filled up with a close up view of a man's face. He had dark hair, glasses, and a goatee. He pulled back, and nodded to himself, turning around and sitting down next to a woman with long brown hair and bright green eyes.

Aerith felt the others look at her again, and notice the similarities.

On the screen, her mother seemed nervous. She played with a strand of hair.

The man laced his fingers together, facing her. "Ifalna, please tell us about the Cetra." His voice was not unkind.

Her mother took a deep breath. "Two thousand years ago, our ancestors, the Cetra, heard the cries of the planet. The first ones to discover the planet's…wound…were at Knowlespole."

The man- her father- nodded. "Where is the land called 'Knowlespole'?"

The woman gestured around. "Here. This area." She went on. "After that, the Cetra began to practice planet-reading."

"What does that entail?"

Her mother blew some hair out of her face. "….I can't explain it very well, but it is like having a conversation with the planet." She looked down at her lap. "It said something fell from the sky, and when it hit, it made a large wound in the planet. Thousands of Cetra pulled together, trying to heal it, but only the planet could heal itself. The wound was too severe for the Cetra, and after many years, the planet healed itself."

Her father nodded. "Do the Ancients- the Cetra, that is- have special powers to heal the planet?"

Her mother shook her head. "No, its not that kind of power." She seemed to struggle for words. "The life force of all living things on this planet becomes the energy. The Cetra tried desperately to cultivate the land so that the energy would not diminish."

Her father frowned. "The snow here never melts. Is that because the planet's energy is gathered here to heal its injury?"

Her mother nodded. "Yes. That energy was called forward to heal the planet, but as a result, it withered away the land. The planet tried to get the Cetra to leave Knowlespole, but…" She hesitated.

He looked at her, and worry creased his brow. "Ifalna, let's take a break."

She shook her head. "No, I'm all right." She took a deep breath. "When the Cetra…were preparing to part with the land they loved, it appeared." She looked past him, into the distance. "It looked like- like our dead mothers, our dead brothers, showing us specters of their past."

"Who, or what, was it?"

"He had been the one to injure the planet. We called him 'The crisis from the sky.'" She bent her head, and closed her eyes. "He first appeared as a friend…deceived them, and finally, gave them the virus." She looked up again. "The- the Cetra were attacked by the virus, and went mad…they turned into monsters, and…" She closed her eyes tightly again.

He stood and ran over to her. "Ifalna-"

She spoke over him. "Just like at Knowlespole, he went to other Cetra clans, and i-infected them with the v-virus…"

He touched her shoulders gently. "You don't look well. Let's call it a day."

He turned and walked back toward the screen, pressing something on the console, and the screen went dark.

"That-" Nanaki began, but then the screen lit again.

Her father was just stepping back. This time they both sat on the couch, closer than before.

"Ifalna," Her father leaned forward. "Can you tell me about the thing called 'Weapon'?"

Her mother nodded. "Yes, Professor." She moved a little closer. "The one that was mistaken for a Cetra…was named Jenova. That is 'the crisis from the sky'. The planet knew it had to destroy the crisis. You see, as long as Jenova exists, the planet cannot fully heal itself."

He cocked his head to one side. "Weapon was originally something the planet produced of its own will?"

"Yes, but…" She looked up at him. "There is no record of Weapon being used."

He raised his eyebrows, and she went on. "Its true. A small surviving group of Cetra defeated Jenova, and confined it."

He shrugged. "So, Weapon no longer exists on the planet?"

She smiled sadly. "Weapon cannot vanish. It sleeps somewhere on the planet. Even though Jenova is confined, it could come to life at any time. The planet isn't fully healed, and is still watching Jenova for any signs of danger."

"Where is Weapon, Ifalna?"

She looked away. "I don't know. I can't hear the planet very well now. Times have changed…but the planet is watching everything closely."

He looked at her, and then shook his head, and muttered something. She glanced over in surprise, and then he stood. "Thank you, Ifalna. I think that will be all for today." He walked over to the console, his steps seeming somehow slower, heavier, than before.

The screen went dark again. Almost immediately, it flashed back on. Aerith stared at her father's back. Her mother was sitting in a chair by the window, looking outside, and he gazed at her, his hand resting absently on the console. He turned slightly, smiling, eyes soft, and then jumped, looking at the camera and pressing a button, the screen going black.

They waited, but the screen stayed black. Yuffie opened her mouth, when a voice spoke.

"What are you doing, honey?"

Her mother's voice. Amused, happy.

"Oh, I was going to tape it, but the video's not working properly."

Her mother laughed. "What more can you tape? I mean…you haven't asked me any questions in a long time…"

"No, no," her father said. There was the sound of a chair scraping on the floor. "I want to record my beautiful daughter. When she's sleeping, her face looks like an angel."

Her mother chuckled again. "We have to name her first."

"Oh, I've already decided that. Her name will be Aerith."

Her mother snorted. "You decided, huh? I'd argue more if it wasn't such a good name." Her father grunted, as if he'd been elbowed in the stomach. "Especially since it came out of that forgetful head of yours!"

"Right! Oh, the tape…"

There was silence for a moment, and then the screen lit up.

Her father was standing at the console again, her mother behind him. In her arms was a small bundle. "Again?" She asked in exasperation, shaking her head.

He looked back at her. "Don't say it like that…She's our lovely daughter. Yours and mine. Don't you want to capture her childhood on videotape?"

She shook her head again, smiling this time. He walked over to her, and their hands linked. "If you spoil her, she won't grow up to be strong," she said, holding out the bundle to him, and going on. "Aerith is different from other children. She may have to face great danger…"

He turned sharply toward her, clutching the bundle to his chest. It wiggled slightly, a small arm sticking out. "Don't say that! I will protect you and Aerith no matter what!" He stepped closer, voice softening. "You are my only treasures. I'll never let you go!" He wrapped his arm around her, and she nestled her face in his neck.

Aerith felt a small sound escape her lips, and tried to blink back the tears filling her eyes.

A loud knock made everyone jump. Her father looked back at the door in annoyance. "Who the devil?" He muttered, setting Aerith gently on the couch. Her mother stepped around him to the door, brushing some hair behind her ear. She twisted the knob, and pulled it open, snow and wind rushing at her.

Her face went pale. "I- Its them!" She ran back into the room, standing next to her husband and child.

A tall man walked through the door, with greasy hair and shiny glasses. He laughed. "What a way to greet an old friend! I've been looking for you for quite some time, Cetra."

Hojo looked at her father. "And long time no see, Professor Gast." He made a mocking bow. "Two years I've waited for my new sample…and at last the day has come."

Four other men came in, tall and strong, carrying guns.

"New sample…" Her father whispered in horror. "You- no, you're not taking Aerith!" He rushed at Hojo, grabbing his coat and shaking him.

The guards raised their guns, and her father froze. Slowly, he lowered his hands.

"Aerith, hmm? What a nice name," Hojo smirked.

Her father's hands clenched again. "Get out of here! I severed all ties with Shinra! Leave now!"

Before anyone else could speak, her mother stepped very calmly between them. "I am the only one you want, right Hojo? Aerith has nothing to do with this!"

"Ifalna, no!" Her father grabbed her shoulder, but she merely moved closer to Hojo.

Hojo nodded, and gestured the guards forward. They stood beside her mother, who looked back at her husband. "Please," she began.

"Hey," Hojo looked past them. "What is that, a camera? Guard! Destroy it!"

A guard whirled, drawing his gun and firing, just as her father dived at the guards.

The screen went black, but the sound still came through- of men grunting, heavy thumps on the ground.

"Ifalna, take Aerith and run!"

Three gunshots ran out, and her mother screamed. A small wail, that of a baby, joined it.

"No, no, let her go, please! No! Honey, please keep breathing! Plea-" Her voice cut off suddenly, replaced with muffled sounds, like she had been gagged.

"Don't forget the child!" Hojo called over the wailing baby. The sound cut off, and the screen remained black.

Aerith stepped back, hand over her mouth. She felt like she couldn't breathe.

"Aerith-" Tifa touched her shoulder, but Aerith slid to her knees.

"Aerith!" Cloud wiped at her eyes desperately, holding her cheeks in his hands. He stared at her, blue eyes wide and full of nothing, nothing but worry for her.

He threw his arms around her neck, nearly sending her falling over.

"Aerith," he whispered. "Aerith, no. No, Aerith."

"Oh, Cloud…" She held him close, letting his warmth fill her up.

There was no time to cry for her parents, no time to mourn. They had to stop Sephiroth. They had to stop Meteor, before it destroyed the planet. They had to get Cloud back to normal.

She felt the others step closer, and Cloud stiffen. She held him tighter, and looked up at the others. Her friends. More like family.

She took a shuddering breath, and started to stand. "Thank-"

The crooked door was blown off its hinges, and slammed into the wall with d deafening blast.

They whirled around, seeing a few figures in the remnants of the doorway.

A woman stepped forward, dark eyes regarding them with fury. "So," She sneered. "Here you are, hiding in some pathetic little shack. You actually thought you were safe! Even after you did in my boss!" Elena raised a gun, and the other Turks around her did the same.

"Tseng?" Aerith gasped, holding out her hands in a gesture of peace, "We didn't kill him, Sephiroth-"

"No!" Elena shrieked, tears in her eyes, taking a step forward. She leveled her gun at Aerith. "No more lies! This ends, now!"

She fired.

* * *

Ah, cliffhangers. So fun to write, and awful to read. :P See what I meant about the battle with Elena?

Anyway, reviews!

Animefan111: Thanks! :D Well, not really a 'soon' update, but an update, so...And yeah, things with Tifa will continue to be complicated for a while, but Tifa is a strong woman.

Persephone Oswald Oleesen: Well, in the time it took me to update you changed your profile name. :P Anyway, this is one of the most flattering reviews I've ever gotten! I'm glad all the characters are coming across well. With so many characters, sometimes its hard to get it right, but its a good thing they all have distinct personalities. Tifa's pain is something that is actually really fun to write about, as well as satisfying. Too often people write Tifa off as a desperate bitch, when she isn't that way at all. In fact, I fully believe it takes a special kind of strength to be such good friends with someone that loves the guy you love. Anyway, nope, no Tifa/Barret fluff, I'm afraid (unless you mean platonically!) as I'm actually completely in love with the impossible idea of Tifa/Zack, but I'm glad you liked it all the same!

Lord Archeron: Thanks so much! Sorry the update didn't happen faster.

Imashitowareto: Well, it will take some time for her to fully get over it, but as you can see here progress has started!

shifty eyes: Thanks! Everyone seems to really like how I write Tifa, which is kind of funny as I've hardly ever written anything for her. :P

drivenbyaBEATINGheart: Oh, thanks so much! Hope that trend continues!

sloganlogan: Thanks for reviewing despite your laziness!

Clow-san: Thanks! Aww, dunno about PERFECT. But thank you, and hope you keep enjoying!

HauntingRequiems: Thank you! And yeah, time helps my writing skills, as does more editing. :P Glad you like it!

kikofreako: Thanks again for being my beta for a while. I totally understand about the busy life and all. :) Anyway, thank you so much! I'm glad the writing is good enough to work with the story, and that you like the dialogue so much.

Next chapter preview:

Scattered: Elena and the Turks attack, and the group is seperated. With some of their friends in enemy hands, they have to figure out how to rescue them...as the Shinra company discovers that Cloud will no longer be so easily led...


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